Battle of Love
by LindseyGoldsworthy
Summary: Clare and Eli find themselves in a game of life and death. Will they survive? Will they do MORE than survive? Haha, just read it!
1. Escape

Battle of Love

Chapter 1

**CLARE**

As I walked down the street with my bag slung over my shoulder, I remembered what happened just an hour ago:

_ "Yeah well, mom, I don't think I can handle this anymore!" I yelled at my mom's face for the umpteenth time since Jake and Glen moved in._

_ "Honey, you need to stop being so dramatic. Maybe we should call your fa-"_

_ "Dad? Really? You want me to go from one house of imbeciles to another? No. Not happening. I'll just pack my bags, and find somewhere to live where people might actually care about me. I can't believe your making me do this again." I muttered the last part, hoping she wouldn't hear it. But of course;_

_ "No one is making you do this Clare bear. We all want you to stay. Actually, you know what? You are a minor. You have to stay if I say so. And you, Clare Diana Edwards, are not going anywhere. You are grounded."_

_ "You're freaking unbelievable! Fine, I'll stay and be miserable! I hope you're happy!" I screamed, slamming my bedroom door with all the strength I could muster._

_ I heard her quiet sobs get farther away until they reached what I presumed to be her room. Geez, _I'm_ dramatic? Is she the one who is forced to hear Jake's disgusting screams through a thin wall? Is she the one who has to live with her brother and pretend that nothing happened with him prior? Is she the one who has no friends and wants to die on a daily basis? No, I'm fairly sure that was me, so she needs to stop whining._

_About 30 minutes after me and my mom's fight, it was 7:30ish. Jake came home with some whore, probably one of those strippers he met at his new job. Who knows (or cares)? Anyways, so I was having a blast, sitting on my bed listening to Jake and his whore in one room and my mom still crying in another when I hit a realization._

_ It was Friday night, and I was home, doing absolutely nothing when I could be out drowning my sorrows at that new club/ arcade thing they just built downtown. It was only like 20 minutes away, and I could probably get some guy to buy me a few drinks if I dressed the part. _

_ Maybe I can go steal the chick's clothes from Jake's room. OBVIOUSLY she doesn't need them right now. I snickered to myself. How does my mother not care about what Jake is doing? Whatever, that's beside the point. I got up and looked through my closet. I picked out one of my less demure numbers, a black lace tank dress. Simple, yet sexy and easy to move around in. I paired it with some adorable golden heels I just recently bought, a pair of diamond earrings, and my cross necklace, of course. I put on a decent amount of makeup then grabbed my purse and proceeded to sneak down the stairs and out the front door._

So here I am, on my way to the town's new hotspot. It's called The New Dot, and I've heard nothing but great things about the club. The arcade, on the other hand, I have no idea. It doesn't matter anyways because I don't plan on going to that part. I arrived at the huge building, and went inside. There was a lobby-type area that was really modern and impressive. On the left was a huge entrance with a sign that read ARCADIA. Yeah, no thanks kiddies. I went through the entrance on the right that was labeled DOT 2.0.

The place was huge and there were lights flashing every which way. Music blasted loud enough to make my bones vibrate. The dance floor was packed with grinding bodies, and I saw the bar in a section off to the right. I went and stood near the bar, looking for a guy to get me a drink. I spotted a tan muscular guy leaning against the wall, nodding his head to the music. I couldn't really see his face because he was standing in a shady spot. _He'll do. _I thought to myself. Might as well give it a try.

I walked slowly up to the man, hiking my dress up a little for effect.

"Hey, are you waiting for your girlfriend or something?" I asked in a flirty voice. The guy turned his head towards me and I gasped.

"_Clare Edwards_, aren't you a little young to be here?"

"Sav! Um hi! I was just um... looking for my friend. Sh-she came in here and I can't find her now." I stuttered. _Wow, that sounded believable. I'm busted._

"Clare, what are you doing here? The friend excuse, really? You should go," He replied, sounding a little agitated.

"I'm not leaving, I just got here! C'mon, for your sister's BFF?" I pleaded, fibbing a little.

"No, Clare, you don't need to be in this kind of setting so young. Let's go." He pulled me by the elbow to the entrance of the club.

"I'll tell Jay over there," he said, motioning to a buff guy against the wall "to make sure you don't come back. And by the way, I know that you and Alli aren't friends anymore. You should go home."

And with that, Sav walked back over to the bar and started to make out with some older chick with glasses.

_Well this sucks._ I looked around the lobby. There were a couple of kids by the entrance of the ARCADIA. There was no way I was going back to my own personal hell called home. I just wanted to escape. I wanted to have a good time, all by myself. I made my way into the arcade.

To call this place a mere arcade, would be the worst injustice I've ever heard. It was humongous, probably the size of ten DOT 2.0s. There were games covering almost every inch of the first floor, save the pathways, and I could see that there was a second floor just as full. A roller coaster twisted throughout the entire room. Teenagers were everywhere, and I felt a little nervous. Big crowds of kids my age kind of suck. I guess one could call me an introvert. I made my way into the crowd, going for a game that had caught my eye. Suddenly, my shoulders were pinned against a wall and I was staring into the eyes of Mark Fitzgerald.

"Fitz! What are you doing! Get off of me!" I shouted at the deranged kid, squirming in his tight grip.

"Clare, why don't we go somewhere and _have fun._ I heard from someone that you like to do that these days. You've changed, Saint Clare, haven't you?" he chuckled darkly.

"You jerk!" I said, pushing him off of me.

"Come back here bitch!" I heard him yell at me.

I walked away swiftly, weaving through the crowd, not caring that I bumped into several pissed off kids. I entered a door that said LASER BATTLE X EMPLOYEES. In the dark room there were several teens with black and red laser guns. A dozen televisions lined the walls, showing security camera angles. A man with a bad comb-over was talking to the group.

"The ONLY rule is that you all have a jolly good time," comb-over man said creepily.

I slipped over to the side of the room and grabbed a gun. May as well get my escape here.

"Kay, y'all can go in now," the guy exclaimed.

A metal wall slid up, revealing a dimly lit cavern-like room.

"What the...?" I questioned quietly.

I've never seen a laser tag game look like this. There was a big crate in the center of the room that looked to be full of food. The majority of the kids ran past it, further into the cave, leaving only a few kids dumbfounded and staring at the crate. I looked at the other teens, recognizing a familiar face at once.

"Adam! Hey!" I greeted him.

"Oh, hey Clare, I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah, I kinda snuck in after this perv came on to me. Do you know what's going on here?" I said, motioning to the crate.

"No idea. Eli?" Adam called.

None other than Elijah Goldsworthy, my ex, came over to us. "Yes? What the hell is up wit- Oh, hey Clare. I didn't know you were here." he said, glancing at me.

"So I've been told. No, actually I just got here."

"She snuck in," Adam said bluntly.

"Oh, you're still the little devil, I see." he smirked.

"I guess you could say that... What kind of a laser tagging place is this?"

"Well, I was just about to ask the same thing. Is that Wonder Bread?"

Sure enough, when we went to go survey the crate, it was full of bread loaves.

"Um... maybe we get extra points if we make a sandwich?" Adam guessed.

"Yeah, Adam, that _must _be it." I chuckled sardonically.

"I don't know. But we better get out of the open. Wanna be on our team, Clare? Until we're the last three, that is. Then its every man for himself." Eli said cockily.

"Still so smug, I see," I said, mimicking him with a grin, "but sure, teammates."

"Let's go then!" Adam yelled. By now, we were the only three in the middle of the large cavern. Obviously we were easy targets. Eli, Adam, and I descended into the dark catacombs. It was a little damp, and we seemed to be delving farther underground.

"Cask of Amontillado much?" I whispered and held my gun tight in my hands. Eli laughed.

"Why, are you scared Fortunado?" he said raising his eyebrows.

"Well, when you put it like that... no. As long as you didn't bring a trowel or anything,"

"Does this bring back memories! You two talking, me having no idea what you mean," Adam said frowning.

"Its from a story, Adam. And, no of course not Clare. I brought a gun" Eli said evilly, his teeth gleaming in the lamplight.

"As did we all. Now will you two just be quiet. I think I can hear someone..."

We all shut up and listened. There was loud laughter in the distance.

"These suckers are going down!" Adam whisper-shouted.

We hid inside a small crevice in the wall and waited. The laughter was coming closer. I was pressed up against Eli's front. I felt just a tad awkward, and scooted forward, smacking into Adam in the process.

"Whoa there, Edwards. Enjoying yourself?" Adam blurted. My face burned and I scooted back again. Eli was silently cracking up; I could feel the way his chest was shaking.

"Oh shut up!" I whispered.

Suddenly, the laughter was right in front of us. Go time.

Hey guys, so this is kind of my first fan fiction. I mean, I've written more, but none that I deemed worthy of posting online. It may or may not get a lot more dramatic. And, I'm leaning towards the dramatic side... Anyways, I hope someone reads it and tells me what I could do to improve it, or what they enjoyed. Thanks peoples! -Lindsey


	2. Twisted

Battle of Love

Chapter 2

**ELI**

Tonight was guy's night. Adam and I decided a few days ago to go to the arcade at The New Dot, and Bullfrog and Cece wanted to go to the club there. Embarrassing, I know. Whatever, all I could think of is the sick arcade everybody at Degrassi has been talking about. I wouldn't normally go out and join the crowd, but when someone throws in free arcade games and laser-tagging, Elijah Goldsworthy is down for almost anything.

I got ready for the arcade, texting Adam to meet me there at 6:30. I threw on some black skinny jeans, a Nirvana band tee, and army boots. I also packed an overnight bag for my sleepover at Adam's later. I packed my medication as a precaution, and headed downstairs.

The ride to The New Dot was nauseating, and when Adam met me in the lobby, I was more than glad to ditch my parents. I love them, but if I have to see them suck face at one more red light, I might die.

"Let me guess, they were macking the entire way here," Adam said when he saw my relieved expression.

"How'd you know?" I retorted sarcastically. Adam had seen his fair share of my not-so-discreet parents on previous guy nights.

"I don't know, but let's get in there!" he said, running excitedly through an entrance that read ARCADIA.

ONE HOUR LATER

Even though this was my first time at the arcade, when I got here I immediately felt in my element. This place can be summed up as me and Adam's guy's night heaven. There is even a roller coaster! We went on that thing seven times, until our stomachs couldn't handle it anymore. Now we are in the strange laser tagging place, with one addition. Clare Edwards, my ex-girlfriend. When I first saw her tonight, I couldn't help the inappropriate thoughts that filled my head. I mean, that dress... I asked her to be on our team, and she agreed! Tonight probably couldn't get any better.

My back was pressed up against the rough stone wall. Clare was in front of me, her intoxicating scent filling my nose, and Adam in front of her. We were waiting for our first victims, who were currently laughing their heads off, making themselves easy targets. Smart move.

The kids appeared in front of us sooner than I'd expected. Adam jumped out and shot at the closest of the three kids. The first went down, and Clare shot at the second. She missed her, but shot again and got her. Everything was happening really fast, and I didn't have time to think, just to do. The third kid spun around and ran, yelling "See ya!" to his friends.

"I don't think so." I muttered. I ran after the guy, who I recognized as former Degrassi student, Declan Coyne. "No you don't, pretty boy!" I yelled, and aimed at his back. The laser hit his vest, and sent him flying to the ground.

"What the..." I walked up to the guy I'd just shot with my laser. His eyes were closed.

"Dude, are you alright?" I said, nudging his shoulder with my gun. No response.

"Eli!" I heard Clare yell. I spun around and saw Clare crouching down next to a girl's body.

"Clare! Clare, are you alright?" I said, afraid that she was harmed, like Declan seemed to be.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But they don't seem to be..." she said, waving her arm over the two girls laying on the ground. I looked at them for the first time.

"Oh no! Fiona! Imogen!" I yelled, feeling really scared now. I went down and held Fiona's wrist. Nothing. "No, no, no. This cannot be happening." I said, tears forming in my eyes. This situation was all too familiar to me. I remembered back to a stormy night three years ago:

_"Cece! Tell them to let me across!" I yelled at my mom who was talking to a cop, her hand over her mouth. She looked at me and it was evident she was crying, and crying hard._

_The cop shook his head at me, but I took the liberty of ripping across the yellow tape and running over to the crowd of investigators. I pushed through their shoulders, ignoring the huffs and angry looks that were thrown my way. I was frantic. My entire body was shaking, but I didn't care when I saw what the commotion was about._

_ There, laying in the middle of the street was my girlfriend Julia. She looked like a beautiful ghost, her pale features even paler than usual and her lips a cold ivory color. I had talked to her- no _yelled_ at her just twenty minutes ago. Guilt flooded my brain and my actions no longer belonged to me. I ran over to her motionless body and pulled her head in my lap._

_ "Julia! Julia, babe, you need to wake up. C'mon Jules, you just need to wake up so we can have that date I planned for this weekend. We'll go out to that cheesy Italian restaurant downtown and see movie, your choice. I'm really sorry for what I said earlier, you know I didn't mean it. Wake up, please. Julia, I love you." I started to cry, strangled sobs finally making their way out of my body. "Come back to me..." I whispered._

"Come back to me Julia!" I screamed.

"Eli, that is Fiona. Are you alright? Adam's going to get help. It's going to be fine," I barely heard Clare through the pounding in my ears. I was holding Fiona's lifeless body in my arms, how could she say that things were okay?

"Clare, this- this is _not_ fine! They are dead! Two of my closest friends... We- no_ I _killed them!" I screamed.

"Eli, be rational. We didn't kill them, they're laser guns! Not even star wars lasers. Little beams of light! They can't kill people." Clare tried to reason with me, but I think she was trying to convince herself even more.

"The evidence is right here, Clare. You don't have to believe me, but I'm not going to live in denial anymore," I said simply, and started to walk in the direction of the cavern. I wished I hadn't left my overnight bag in Bullfrog's car. I really needed a pill right about now.

"W-where are you going?" Clare asked in a small voice and I turned around. The sight I saw before me broke my heart. Clare looked miserable. Her cheeks were red, stained with make up. Her expression was the one I saw on Cece's face the night of Julia's death. Her beautiful eyes, those eyes that I had looked into a million times before, were wide and afraid. Her eyes hit me the hardest. I grabbed her hand and pulled her along gently.

"_We _are going to go find Adam. This place is dangerous, and I don't want any one of us alone in it. I have a feeling thatthis isn't just an innocent game of laser tag."

"I think you may be right." was all she said, leaning her head on my shoulder.

We walked back to the cavern in silence after that. My mind was on getting help for Fiona Imogen, and Declan, and I was also listening for any signs of other kids just in case we needed to get out of plain sight. Hand in hand, Clare and I reached the cavern. The crate of bread was still there, but Adam was nowhere to be found.

"This is where he said he'd be..." Clare whispered.

"Shit," I thought out loud.

"What kind of a game is this?" Clare suddenly yelled at the metal wall that we entered the game in. Of course it was shut. "I know there are cameras! Please, just let us out, there are kids dead in here for crying out loud!" I flinched at her words.

"_Elijah and Clare, what a surprise." _a familiar male voice echoed though the cavern.

"Fitz? What the fuck is going on? Why are we locked in here? Three kids are _dead. _Never coming back," I had to stop when my voice broke.

_"Oh, the stupid rich twins and their little pet? Yeah I saw that. Nice job with that, by the way. I saw how you guys killed them. Why are you whining? You _want _to go to jail right now?"_

Clare spoke up, "Oh please, the only person that would be going to jail is you. You locked us in here to kill each other, didn't you! Now let us out!"

_ "Hmm let me think... NO. You could have been a nice girl earlier, Clare. But you weren't. You fucked up. And so now you're stuck in there with emo boy until you play out the game I've created for you."_

"What is WRONG wi-" Clare began and I cut her off quickly. "What do you mean, 'created for us'?"

_"I mean, I created it for Clare. My uncle works here, and when Clare decided to be a bitch to me, I convinced him to help me make this game a little more interesting. Your guns shoot lasers, like actual lasers. Cool, right? I thought I would let you guys figure that out first, though. Your reactions were priceless. 'Come back to me!'" _he mocked, laughing maniacally.

"Shut up!" I yelled, beyond livid.

"What do we have to do?" Clare asked.

_ "Finally, someone who listens! Well, _Clarebear, _isn't it obvious? It's a laser tag game. You play until there is one winner. The winner gets the bread!" _Fitz started cracking up, as if his obvious reference to the crate were the funniest thing in the world.

"Yeah, hilarious. You know, this isn't very original, Fitz. Did you just finish reading The Hunger Games trilogy or something? Oh yeah, I forgot; your literary skills aren't that advanced. Come on, Clare." I said, towing her towards the catacomb entrance.

"Eli, what are we going to to do?" she whispered to me.

"Hide out until morning. Someone has to come around by then, right? Its not like we're in the middle of nowhere. The other kids are bound to realize what is going on soon enough. We'll be okay," I said, trying to reassure her and myself.

We walked down a different tunnel than the one before for _obvious reasons_, and also in search of a hiding spot. Clare pointed out a crevice, slightly larger than the one we hid in before, that would provide sufficient cover for the night. We settled next to each other in the crevice, and I made sure she went in first so I could be on the outside.

"Okay, I'll keep watch. You should rest. It's been a hard night," I told her.

"Eli, do you think I could even _think_ about sleeping in here? This place is already like a nightmare. No need to delve into another," she replied tiredly.

"I'll protect you. You don't need to worry. These kids aren't wild animals, they have consciences." I reminded her.

"Thank you, Eli. You are such a nice guy."

I blushed at her compliment. "Anytime Blue Eyes," I blurted. "I um, mean Clare."

"It's alright, _Green Eyes_," she said. I looked over at her mischievous smile. She knew what I thought of that name.

"I'll let that one go just this time, since it would seem kind of unfair to tickle you when you have nowhere to run," I grinned.

"Sure, sure." she muttered sleepily.

"Sleep now, Clare. I promise I'll protect you tonight,"

She nodded and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, her head slid onto my shoulder. Right where it belonged. I smiled in spite of everything that had happened.


	3. Together

Battle of Love

Chapter 3

**CLARE**

This is literally the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. I never thought that I'd say this, but _I want to go home._ Eli is the only thing keeping me together right now.

I woke up, and my head on Eli's shoulder. He smelled oddly enticing for someone who spent the night in a damp cave. His emerald eyes were piercing into mine when I looked up.

"Good morning sleepyhead, sniffing me?," he said, ruffling my hair a little.

"Morning. And maybe... did anyone come around last night?" I asked.

"No one. Creepy, right? I thought that people would at least _try_ to play the game, especially without Fitzy boy's rules,"

"Yeah, but what if..." I trailed off, turning my head. I was about to say '_What if they're all dead?_', but we don't really need that kind of pessimism so early.

"What if what?

"Never mind. Do you want to sleep? I can take watch now," I offered, trying to change the subject. He sat there for a moment, searching my eyes, but let it go with a shrug.

"Nah, I don't know how you did it, really. I couldn't sleep in here if I tried,"

"I'll protect you, like you did for me. I'm stronger than most would think, you know."

"Clare, I'm good. I think I dozed off a little last night anyways," he admitted sheepishly.

"Okay..." I said hesitantly, "What do you suggest we do then?"

"Three things. First; wait for help. Just for today at least. If we're still stuck in here by tomorrow (which I'm thinking we won't be) then we can go out and see what's going on. Second, talk? I don't know about you, but that helps me with anxiety. And lastly," he said, pulling something out from his other side, "Eat." There were two loaves of bread in his hands.

"You left?" I said, trying not to sound over-dramatic.

"No! Do you really think I would leave you here by yourself? No, I got these when we first came in...which reminds me; where is Adam?"

I sighed. "Eli, I don't know. Let's just hope he's safe where ever he is," I didn't want to say the word _alive. _Eli had already lost two of his good friends in here, and I couldn't imagine how he'd handle losing his best friend.

"Okay... now, for distraction time. You want some bread?"

Eli and I sat in the crevice for hours. We talked about anything and everything except our current situation, and I was content with that. It felt just like old times. His witty remarks never failed to make me laugh, and I realized that we still share many common interests. I can't believe how much I've actually missed this guy. He is wonderful, sweet, sarcastic, smart, and cute. I can't deny the feelings; they're still there. But like old times, our little bonding experience had to end eventually.

"Okay, here's a good one. Would you rather kiss the dirty ground beneath our feet, or me?" Eli said with the hugest smirk I've ever seen.

"Oh puh-lease, that's a hard one. Come here, floor!" I shouted, laughing. We were playing Would You Rather, and I couldn't help but burst his bubble constantly; his reactions were too entertaining, and it would do his inflated ego some good.

Eli frowned and put a hand over his heart. "I don't think I will be able to recover from that one, Edwards."

"You'll survive," I replied. We sat in silence for a minute.

"Nah, I'd kiss you." I said finally, a small smile tugging at my lips.

"Prove it," he dared.

My stomach filled with butterflies at those two words. I don't know what the heck possessed me, but I leaned across the small space and pressed my lips to his for a split-second. His lips were warm and soft, so inviting. It took everything I had not to linger too long. No, that definitely wouldn't do any good, considering where we were and the fact that we weren't even together anymore.

"There," I said as I pulled back, grinning.

Eli looked shocked. His eyes were wide and his lips parted.

"Um, yeah g-good job," he stuttered. I couldn't even believe I had this effect on him. When we were dating, it seemed as though he was always the one to leave me speechless and flustered.

"So, do you really want to play this anymore?" I inquired.

"Er, no we uh don't have to. Clare, did I tell you that you look very beautiful in that dress?"

"Nope," I said, my cheeks starting to burn.

"Well I'm an idiot, because you really do. What's the occasion?"

"No occasion, I just wore it. These heels are killing me, though." I said, trying to take my shoes off. The buckle was stuck on one of the heels. I pulled on the material roughly to no avail, and made myself look really awkward in the process.

Sensing my struggle, Eli scooted over to me. "Need some help?"

"Thanks." I said shyly. He placed my foot on his lap and began loosening the resistant strap. I, of course, was blushing madly the whole time.

"Isn't it a little fancy for laser tag, though? Not to be rude or anything."

"My dress?"

"Yeah, sorry that sounded rude," he said, still working on the shoe.

"No it's fine. I just hadn't _planned _on laser tagging last night. I actually went to the DOT 2.0, but I was immediately kicked out by Sav Bhandari. He said I didn't need to be in that kind of a setting so young," I answered grudgingly.

"Got it!" Eli exclaimed, gently removing my shoe, then he said, "Sav Bandhari. Really? I always thought he was kind of a laid back guy. He _did _drive me to a Dead Hand concert at a club last year. He must really have it out for you," he chuckled, "but why were you at a club anyways, if you don't mind me asking?"

I surely didn't mind him asking, but I also didn't want to bore him with the specifics of my everyday life. He would probably see me as whiny and naive, like my mom said. "I needed to get out of the house, ya'know? Escape,"

"Oh, sorry. Is this Jake-related?" he said, sounding genuinely concerned. That took me aback a little, so I decided to share some more.

"Him, my mom, and even Glen sometimes. I think they've all made it their mission in life to make me miserable."

"I'm so sorry, Clare. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," I said, not wanting to ruin the good time we'd been having a minute earlier.

"Okay just know that I'm always here if you ever need someone to talk to. Or kiss," he added.

"Hey, don't get cocky, now. It was a dare!" I yelled, louder than I'd intended to.

"Hmm, defensive... Perhaps a little too defensive." he smirked deviously.

Before I could answer, a girl's voice echoed down the tunnel, "_Hey! Is anyone down here?"_

We froze. For the first time in hours, I was afraid for our lives.

"Oh man, here we go." Eli groaned. He scooted to the edge of the crevice, peeking out. "It's a girl and a guy. They have their guns." he whispered to me.

"Crap. What do we do?"

"_We won't shoot! We know what happens! Please, just come out,"_ a guy's voice called out.

"Should we trust them?" I asked

"Clare, they're just kids. I don't think they would intentionally hurt us. I'm going to go talk to them, you stay here,"

"Eli, no! I'm coming," I protested.

"Please don't. Just stay here until I call you out. For me?" he pleaded hurriedly.

"Ugh, fine. Please be careful, and bring your gun just in case," I allowed. The next thing that happened surprised even me. Without thinking, I grabbed his tee shirt and pulled him in for another kiss. His surprised lips quickly reciprocated. _That _was random, but it felt necessary. Eli pulled away first.

"Well, just for that I'll be _extra _careful," Eli said, grinning. I just sat there in a daze while he rushed out into the tunnel with his gun. I could hear everything.

I heard Eli first yell "Hey! I'm here! I won't shoot if you don't."

A different male voice sounded relieved, "Oh, my god! Tori, someone's here!"

Two pairs of loud footsteps echoed down the tunnel, until they reached just outside the crevice.

"Hey! I'm Zig, and this is Tori,"

_ "_Eli,"

"Do you know what the heck is going on? We- we were just playing the game a few hours ago and when I shot my friend Jason, he f-fell down," the kid sounded like he was struggling to speak.

"We think he's dead," the girl-Tori finished.

"It's okay. It happened to me too," Eli eased, "And don't freak out, but a psycho named Fitz locked us all in here to battle to the death. He said that only one of us can emerge victorious."

"It sounds like the Hunger Games!" Tori exclaimed a little too cheerfully.

Eli chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But I plan on _not _dying or killing anyone else, so..."

"We wait?" Zig guessed.

"Yeah, that's what we've been doing. Oh yeah, Clare you can come out now." Eli called out to me. I slipped out of my hiding spot.

"This is Clare," Eli introduced me to the two. "Clare, meet Zig and Tori."

I didn't recognize the boy. He had medium-length, dark brown hair and was wearing a tee shirt that had a DC logo on it. Definitely a freshman guy; they were all obsessed with skateboarding.

" Hey- Oh _Tori_! You're the one that set Adam up with Tristan, right?" I said, recognizing the curly-haired girl at once.

"Hi Clare. And yes, not my finest setup, I will admit," she sighed sadly, "Did Adam find anyone else yet?"

"Girls, _come on_. Relationship gossip already?" Eli whined. I knew he didn't want to hear any talk about Adam. _I_ didn't even want to talk about him. We still had no clue as to where he was, if he was okay.

"What _else_ is there to talk about?" Tori joked lightly.

"Maybe like how the hell we're going to get out of here? We can't wait forever. Any plans?" Eli said. Zig and Tori both shook their heads.

"We searched the whole place already. It's gigantic. Everyone we saw is either laying on the ground..._unconscious_ or speaking to us right now. I think more are hiding somewhere, we really didn't see a lot of kids. Also, there are no windows or doors apart from the one we entered this hell hole through," Zig said.

Eli sighed. "Wonderful. Have you guys tried your phones?"

"Yep, no signal, even in the room with the bread. It's like this place was built for this Fitz guy's sick game,"

"No doubt, I just hope that we can stop it before anyone else...you know," Eli said.

I stood there, not really listening to the three of them anymore. My mind was racing. _How did Fitz get this place set up so fast? He couldn't have, I ran directly here after he tried coming onto me...He must have been planning this. What could I have done to provoke this type of insanity though? Maybe he was still angry about Vegas Night? _I didn't really care. I just needed to end this thing. I already had too much blood on my hands.

"Eli," I muttered, trying to pull him out of his rant with Zig. No such luck.

"Eli!" I tapped on his shoulder.

"Yes?" he answered me.

"I...I think I may have a plan to get us out of here. You may not like it though,"

"Tell me! And I doubt that I wouldn't like a plan of yours." he pushed eagerly.

I pursed my lips. Telling Eli my plan was going to be difficult. Even with his reassurance, I knew he would reject it right as it left my lips.

* * *

Hey wonderful reviewers/readers! THANK YOU! You were the ones that made me want to update three days in a row. I'm thinking I'll put a few chapters up each week, but I'm not positive. Writer's block sucks...Anyways, I'm not sure how long this story is going to be (maybe around 15 chapters?)

As always, suggestions and constructive criticism are encouraged, but I also loved your words of praise! Internet hugs to you all. And one question before I go... should I slow down the eclare? I was thinking of doing that by switching to Adam's or even Fitz's POV for a chapter. Let me know what you guys think, and I'll update soon (Tuesday at the latest). Ciao! -Lindsey


	4. Message

**Okay, little note before you read. First, thank you soooo much for your reviews! They are so encouraging, keep 'em coming! Also, this is supposed to be like 1/3 of a chapter, and I'm going to post the second part to it soon. I just am really busy this week and I wanted to at least write _something_. Sorry that it's not much. -Lindsey**

Battle of Love

Chapter 4

**ADAM**

Everything happened so fast. One minute, Clare, Eli, and I were joking around and waiting for our first victims in a small hole in the wall. The next, I hear a familiar laugh echoing right outside of our hiding spot. I jumped out, and shot blindly at the noise. Clare and Eli followed me out, each shooting at different opponents. My target fell down quickly, and-

_Wait, why did she fall down?_

I looked down at the girl I'd just hit. _Just my luck _I thought_._ Sprawled out on the cold stone floor was the beautiful goddess, Fiona Coyne. I knelt down at her side, and picked up her hand. It was warm. Faintly, I could hear Eli bellowing something out, but my attention was rather undivided.

"Oh my god, Fiona! Are you okay?" I asked. She didn't answer so I pressed my thumb against her neck, checking for a pulse. There was nothing. My stomach dropped.

"Clare! Its Fiona, she doesn't have a pulse! I don't know what happened!"

"Same thing with Imogen over here, Adam. We need to get help, like_ right now_. Do you know CPR?" she asked hurriedly.

"No! Do you?"

"No. Oh crap, oh crap," she breathed. "Um I'll stay with them, you go get some help. Hurry!"

My head was spinning as I ran out of the catacomb. _Calm down, Adam. _I thought to myself. I pulled my phone out of my pocket with shaky fingers, intending to call 911. When I unlocked the keypad, however, something strange caught my eye. It was a text message from an unidentified number. I was about to click it shut, but my finger slipped and opened the message anyways. It read:

**Message from: UNKNOWN 8:11 pm**

**Hey tranny freak, I can see that you're in a bit of a jamb. I'm feeling generous, and want to help you out. Unless you want to end up like precious little Fiona Coyne, come to the main cavern with the crate. Await further instructions.**

_Oh my God_ I thought as I perused the text. Only one person has ever called me that stupid name; Mark Fitzgerald. _How did _he_ know what happened to Fiona? It was a few minutes ago, for crying out loud! Was he spying on me?_ _Should I do what he asked?_

I decided that none of it mattered at the moment, I just needed to get help. I dialed 911, and put the phone to my ear. There was no ringing, no operator asking what the problem was. I glanced at the screen and sure enough, it said **NO SERVICE**.

"UGH!" I yelled, dropping the phone in frustration. I couldn't even call the goddamn police!

"_A little angry, are we?" _

I spun around, trying to locate the source of the familiar voice. There was no one in sight.

"Where are you, Fitz?" I screamed.

"_Everywhere, tranny freak. I'm everywhere_. _Are you going to follow my instructions or what?_"

"Is this some kind of a sick joke Fitz? 'Cause if it is, fine you got me! I surrender." I started making my way towards the cavern.

"_Well that was easier than I thought.._." he trailed off. I heard scuffling behind me.

An arm snaked around my neck, and before I could utter a syllable, my face was covered in a thin sheet. It smelled funny. It smelled...so funny... so...

And that's when everything went black.

**to be continued... :) **


	5. Prank

Battle of Love

Chapter 5

**ADAM**

I awoke from a deep sleep that seemed to have lasted weeks. My head throbbed relentlessly and my stomach felt like it was doing back-flips.

_Geez, is this a hangover or something? I'm so going to give Eli hell for letting me drink. Wouldn't be the first time, I guess._

I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my index and middle fingers to my temples. Light never helps a situation like this. I tried to remember what Eli and I did last night that led to my current torture. Nothing came to mind. The possibilities were-quite literally- endless. You never know what to expect when you hang out with Eli Goldsworthy.

_Why can't I remember anything?_ I doubted that Eli would let me get _that_ hammered.

Frustrated, I slowly opened my eyes.

_Oh._

It all came back to me as I eyed my surroundings. The arcade, laser tagging with Eli and Clare, Fiona unconscious, Fitz's threats, and finally someone wrapping their arm around my neck from behind. I was in the room with the laser guns hung up on the walls. There were other kids sitting against the walls silently. I glanced at each of their faces, recognizing four. Maya Matlin, Tori Santamaria, and Zig Novak all sat next to each other on the opposite side of the room. Fitz was over there, too, towering over them and smoking. His eyes darted around the room, and rested on mine. _Shit._

Fitz lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. He stalked over to me, cigarette in hand.

"Hey everyone! Looky here, the tranny woke up!" he yelled.

The room was silent. No one moved, their eyes remained glued to the TVs on the wall.

"What? I thought you guys wanted little Adam here," he said loudly, clapping his free hand on my shoulder, "to be out of the game."

I flinched at his touch, my head and heart pounding in sync. I looked up at his face. His eyes were very bloodshot and he definitely looked more out of it than usual. He was _so_ on something. I looked at the cigarette in his hand, taking note of its unusual shape. Pot.

Fitz caught my gaze. "What? Can't a guy have a joint every now and then?" he snapped.

"Yeah, whatever Fitz. Now tell me what is going on."

"Shut up freak. I don't have to tell you anything. But maybe one of my audience members would like to fill you in," he said, looking at the other kids. "TORI GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE."

Tori stood up, looking smug. Why, I have no idea. Are they friends?

"Geez, pushy much? What do you want now?"

"_Adam _here would like to know what is going on."

"And? It's not like I know more than you. It was your idea."

"Yeah, but now you're part of it. Tell him or you're going in."

"Oh please, as if you would-"

Well this was getting annoying. I decided to speak up. "You know, I would just _love _to sit here and listen to you two bicker, but my friends are in the other room dead! Maybe we should call 911?" I suggested.

Tori and Fitz looked at me as if I grew another head. They then burst into laugher.

"Oh, that's- that is _gold!_ He thinks that-" Tori was cut off by Fitz

"No, Tori, he's right. We _should_ call the cops." he said, winking at her. She looked at him at first confused and then seemed to catch on to what he was saying. She turned to me and smiled.

"Hey, Adam. It's nice to see you again."

"Um, hi? You're friends with Fitz?" I asked.

"Nope." her lips popped on the 'p'.

"Then why-?"

"We're cousins, dumbass." Fitz said. "And oh! Here, this ought to fill you in on what's going on."

Fitz stumbled over to the televisions on the wall. I saw on the furthermost right TV an image of Eli and Clare in the cavern.

"WHAT IS GOING-" I was silenced when Tori put her hand over my lips.

"Just listen," she whispered to me.

I listened to the whole conversation as Tori kept her hand clamped over my mouth. It seems Fitz created a game for Eli and Clare to fight to the death. If that was true, why are all the other players in here?

_Oh._ I'd hit my millionth realization that night. Fitz wants Clare to kill Eli? Or the other way around? Fitz sounded pretty peeved with Clare, so I'm going to assume it's the latter. Either way, one of my best friends is in trouble.

"Fitz, this is stupid! Do you really think Eli or Clare would even _consider _killing the other? They're in love!" I yelled at him after Clare and Eli left the cavern and Tori's hand lifted off my mouth. It might not have been true, but maybe it would convince him that they weren't likely as hostile as he was.

"No, they aren't! And if they don't do it by tomorrow, I have a trick up my sleeve," he said, grinning evilly.

"I really hope this is just the drugs talking. You sound insane!"

He just shrugged me off and went to go sit on a chair by the televisions. Exasperated, I looked at the other kids in the room. They were all laughing and chatting amongst themselves now as if nothing horrible and seriously fucked-up was going on. I questioned their sanity. There was only one person sitting quietly, staring at me with a strange expression. Maya Matlin. I knew her because I've been to Katie's house with Drew. We sometimes talked while the happy couple flirted shamelessly. I walked over to her.

"Um so you're okay with this?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course!" she said, but gave me another strange face. She looked like she was hiding something.

"Then why do you look so secretive?" I pushed.

"Secretive? No, no. I just..." she bit her lip. I stared her down. She glanced around nervously.

"Come here." she said under her breath.

I took a seat next to her, where Tori had been sitting. Right now, Tori was on Zig's lap. Ew.

"Okay tell me what is really going on here." I whispered, mimicking her cautiousness.

"This is all I know. Earlier today I came here with Zig and Tori. Tori said that her cousin, Mark, was going to play a prank on Eli Goldsworthy."

"Okay? Not a very funny prank if you ask me. People are dead!" I said.

"Shh. No, listen, that was part of the prank. The lasers shoot some kind people-tranquilizer. Mark said it was totally safe, but I guess it gives the illusion of death or something. He said that Eli would freak out about it. I know it's really cruel. I was sort of forced to come watch," she said, glaring at the couple beside us. So many questions were running through my head.

"How did Fitz even know that Eli and I were coming today? And why is Clare still in there with him? And why am _I _in here?"

"Okay, okay slow down. First question; Fitz said that he heard from someone that Eli was coming here today. I don't know from who though. Second, Clare... I don't think she was part of the original plan. Actually, everything Fitz told Clare and Eli was not in the original plan. I think something happened between them and Fitz decided to include Clare in his stupid prank."

"Oh yeah! Clare told me some pervert came on to her today. Maybe it was him?"

"Could be. And as for you, Tori said she felt bad for you because of something she did earlier this year, and convinced Fitz to get you out of there. She must have done something really bad. Tori doesn't usually feel bad for people." she said. I could tell she wanted to know what happened.

My face flushed. "Yeah, long story short, she set me up with a dude. Not interested."

"Bummer. Anyways, I don't think I was supposed to tell you all of this."

"What are they going to do, tranquilize you?" I said sarcastically.

"Maybe. Could you just keep quiet please? I don't want Tori or Zig to hate me for ruining their fun, assuming you're going to intervene." she glanced at me.

"Oh I am definitely foiling this stupid prank. Eli's been through enough trauma already. I just need to figure out how... and of course, I won't rat you out." I added, smiling at her gratefully.

"Thanks."

The night progressed, and Eli and Clare were no longer visible on the screen. I knew they hid somewhere though, we saw it when they did. Fiona, Imogen, and Declan were still laying on the ground unconscious. I asked Maya how long the tranquilizers were supposed to last. She replied with a shrug. I knew I needed to help out my friends before they went crazy in there, or before Fitz threw in what he 'had up his sleeve'. I also knew that the best time for that was quickly approaching. Everyone in the room was slightly high from Fitz's hotboxing. Even I was feeling a little light headed, but nowhere near the rest of them who were in here much longer. It was pretty late, too, and most of the teens were sleeping already.

* * *

In fact, the only three people awake right now are Fitz, Maya, and I (though could tell that Maya was hanging on by a thread).

"Hey, Maya, I think I'm going to get out of here. There is a hidden door over there."

I pointed to a black door that blended in with the wall. I had been searching for a way out all night, and I knew that that was my best bet.

"Okay, where are you going?" she asked sleepily.

"Never mind that, you're tired. Just try to keep Fitz distracted while I'm gone. Please, it would really help me out. I'll owe you."

"Will do," she yawned.

"Thank you! I'll see you later,"

"See ya."

I looked at Fitz. Wow, was he baked. I had gotten high a few times before, but never felt the need to smoke all night long. He was staring at the TVs with a really creepy smile on his face. I probably couldn't pull him out of that state if I tried.

_Too easy._ I crawled over to the door and tried the knob. It twisted without difficulty. I pushed open the door and crawled out.

The air felt so good. I had been suffocating in that room filled with smoke I had no desire to inhale. I looked around. The coast looked clear. I got up and started to power-walk towards the entrance of the arcade.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

**Hellooo. Muahaha cliffhanger after cliffhanger. I just love ending it like that. I woke up feeling like Adam and I still do so I'll just say thank you for reading/reviewing. Have a nice day -Lindsey**


	6. Truth

**Hey everyone. As always, thank you so much for your awesome reviews! Especially princess amy :) glad to know you love the story so much. I think that this will be my last chapter that isn't in Eli or Clare's POV. I'm missing them lol. Hope you enjoy. **

Battle of Love

Chapter 6

**ADAM**

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" a familiar voice echoed through the large room.

I whipped my head to the source of the exclamation. _What the hell?_

"Sav? Dude, shut up! I'm trying to get out of here." I whisper-shouted at the guy, who was standing to the left of the arcade entrance.

"Why are you here so late, little dude?" he said, quieting down a little.

"I could ask you the same question. But for your information, I was sort of kidnapped by Fitz!"

"Kidnapped? Yeah, I doubt that. Fitzy said he had an audience, not hostages."

"You talked to him?" I asked, confused by his knowledge of the situation.

"Yup. Doing some security work for him right now. I suppose I'm not allowed to let you leave, sorry bro."

"Wait, what! You're working for him?" I yelled increduously.

"Calm down. That's what I said, isn't it?" he asked.

"But why? He's like... a criminal! Are you guys even friends?"

"Nah, but he caught my girlfriend cheating on me tonight. You know, Miss OH GIRL?" he laughed crazily before composing himself, "Thought I'd repay him."

"But he did; he kidnapped me all for his stupid half-ass prank! We need to help out Eli and Clare, they're still locked in the laser tag place. "

"Oh, Goldsworthy? I didn't know he was in there..." he wavered.

"Yeah! And Clare! Isn't she like best friends with your younger sister?"

"Not anymore. She is currently known at my house as 'she-who-shall-not-be-named'. Girls." he scoffed.

"Yeah, girls fighting over stupid things. All the more reason for you to help her and a brother out!"

He stood there, looking very torn.

"Ugh, Fitz is going to kill me!" he said finally.

"You're going to help me?" I asked.

"Well, I don't want to break my promise to him and let any of you out of here, but I will do you one better." he grinned.

"And what would that be?"

"I'll help you foil his plan."

"Seriously!"

"Yeah, it did sound pretty childish. I only agreed because he did me a favor. But bros gotta stick together." he said, nudging me with his elbow.

"Thanks, man."

"No problem. I was getting bored here anyways."

"You were bored. In an arcade." I said blankly.

"None of the games are on!"

"Oh, whatever," I shrugged, "let's do this."

Sav and I explored the arcade, looking for inspiration for a plan. Sav initially wanted to run into the gun-room and 'go ape' on Fitz. Obviously, he didn't take into account the room full of kids who were backing him up. So, no, that wouldn't work. I suggested that we go to the police, but Sav said that would being going overboard and not very original.

We surveyed the area around the laser tag place. I knew it went underground, so we took an elevator down to the basement. I was shocked that no one was here, not a single janitor in sight. The basement was really weird... It was only one room, spacious enough, but not big enough to cover the entire laser tagging floor. Even weirder, it looked like someone lived down there.

"Dude, maybe we should just hit the sack." Sav joked, referring to a bed that was in one corner of the room.

"Ha-ha very funny. This place is just full of surprises, isn't it. Who do you think lives here?"

"_I do, and I would truly appreciate it if you two dip shits got off my property. Now."_

The voice came from a static filled speaker in the corner of the room. I sighed in frustration.

"Fitz." I acknowledged. I wasn't surprised, really. He would live in a dump like this.

"_Thought you could escape so easily, tranny?" _he chuckled.

"That's not cool, dude." Sav interjected.

"_No, what isn't _cool _is the way you totally disregarded everything I did for you. Now you're on my list, too."_

"List?" I asked in confusion.

"_Turn to your left."_

I obeyed. On the wall written in what looked like black sharpie was Fitz's list:

**ELI GOLDSWORTHY**

CLARE EDWARDS

FIONA COYNE X

DECLAN COYNE X

IMOGEN MORENO X

COUSIN TORI + STUPID BOYFRIEND

I stared at it in shock. The names Fiona, Declan, and Imogen were all crossed out. But I thought... did Fitz really kill them?

"A hit list, Fitz? I thought you changed." Sav said.

"And why would I have changed? To kiss up to that prude bitch in the cave right now? Yeah, not my style. And you guys can both put your names up there on the list if you want, though you won't be up there for long..."

"So this wasn't a prank? They're really dead?" I asked.

Fitz laughed. "Ha, I thought you were smart, tranny. You actually went for the prank story? Wait- how did you know about that?"

"I uh, well Tori-"

"Aha! Tori told you? Oh she already had it coming, and now this is just the icing to the cake."

"No, Fitz! I didn't mean-"

"She is so going in. Make yourselves at home, I'll deal with you tomorrow." Fitz interrupted quickly, and then the static disappeared. He was gone.

"So... what exactly is going on? This wasn't a prank?"

"No. Fitz is locking kids from his list in the caves to kill one another." I said, feeling numb.

* * *

**FITZ**

This night was turning into more of a party than I'd thought possible. I had my weed and everyone on my list was here! Now, they can get what they deserve. To die.

Of course the stupid tranny had to escape! Whatever, he kind of helped me.

"Tori, wake up!" I shook her. Her eyes popped open immediately.

"Whaaaat?" she whined.

"Oh, cool your tits. You need to go in the caves for me. Clare and Eli haven't done anything productive and I want to speed this shit up." I lied. No, I wanted this to be _slow_ and _agonizing_ for all of them.

"If I go then I get to bring Zig!" she tapped his shoulder and he sat up, too.

_Even better._

"Sure, whatever. You need to go in there and act like you've been playing the game all along. Then, I want you two to somehow get Clare and Eli to shoot each other. Even if it means you have to sleep for a few extra hours."

"Sleep? Like being tranquilized?" Zig asked.

"Yup. It won't hurt you, you'll just sleep for a few hours."

"Sounds good to me, seeing as how I was just interrupted from a fantastic beauty sleep." Tori said pointedly.

"Whatever Tori. Get in there, you two."

Tori and Zig both went over to the wall and grabbed two guns. Zig followed her, of course. That boy is so dumb, he lets Tori boss him around all the time. I'm definitely doing him a favor by getting him killed. I opened the metal wall that led into the cavern. They entered with big smiles on their faces. Ugh.

I watched Tori and Zig on the televisions. They walked around for awhile, looking for Clare and Eli. I finally gave up and told them to call for them. Tori, being the big mouth she is, yelled out to them and Eli actually came out! I have to hand it to them, they're good actors. They talked with Eli for a little, and eventually little Saint Clare came prancing out as well. She said that she has a plan to get out.

_This should be interesting._

I just hope Tori and Zig know what the fuck they're doing. If not, I'll just have to end this myself.


	7. Threatened

**Hey! Um... so there was really no good excuse for me to wait so long to update except writer's block and I got really into my other story. So I'm going with that. Sorry nonetheless everyone. LOVE YOU ALL, here's chapter 7. **

Battle of Love

Chapter 7

**ELI**

I pulled Clare back into our hiding spot so Fitz couldn't hear what our plan was. After a minor argument with Tori, I also convinced her and Zig to wait out in the tunnel for a while.

"Okay, Eli. If I tell you this, you have to promise not to freak out. I mean, like solemnly swear to stay open-minded and listen to everything I have to tell you." Clare whispered.

"I promise I'll try to control my emotions," I said, getting a little nervous. I can't really help when I freak out. My medication can only take me so far.

_Shit, how long has it been since I took it?_

"Well, that sounds legit enough. Hm... where to start? Oh! Okay, so you remember what Fitz said yesterday, right?

"About what, exactly?" I asked for clarification.

"Me being...difficult earlier yesterday. About how I screwed up, and now we are paying the consequence."

"Clare, if you're trying to blame yourself-" I began, but was cut off by Clare's rushed words.

"No, Eli, listen. Fitz came onto- no; _forced himself _onto me when I got to the arcade last night. He pinned me against the wall, and asked me to...have fun with him. Obviously my stupid step-brother told him something ridiculous about me. I rejected him and ran directly to the arcade. So you can't really tell me this whole thing isn't my fault. _Anyways,_" she paused for breath, shaking her head at my harsh look, "I thought that if I just give him what he wants, he'll let us all go,"

On the outside, my face may have looked a tad angry and disapproving. On the inside, however, I was seething. I felt like I was living my junior year all over again. _Who the fuck does Fitz think he is?_

"Absolutely not. I am _not _going to let him manipulate you like that again. Can't you see? He probably created the game so you would come up with this exact plan. No, not happening. You really thought that you would go to him and-" I shuttered, refusing to have the idea planted in my head.

"Eli, chill. You promised you'd stay open-minded. It was just an idea. I don't see _you _with any glorious plans, now do I?"

"Alright, you got me there. I'm sorry. We shouldn't fight, we need to stick together in this," I said, feeling guilty for rejecting Clare's plan so quickly. Not only did she feel responsible for our current situation, but she was also ready to sacrifice herself for us all. She is truly amazing.

"I agree, but we _are _going to need a plan to get out of here. I would have thought Mr. Schemer would have something up his sleeve..."

"Not of this moment, but I promise to get us out of here alive somehow," I replied.

..

After we went back into the hall, Clare, Tori, Zig, and I walked the tunnels for hours, throwing ideas around in whispered conversations. Zig and Tori came up with absolutely nothing, and I was a little upset that they didn't seem to care what happened to us all. I wished I could just be alone with Clare.

"Zig, what time is it? We've been walking around _forever_," Tori complained yet again.

"Babe, it's been like two minutes since you last asked that. Why don't we sit?" Zig suggested. _Wow, this kid is so whipped. _

"I'm going to keep walking for a little. Clare, do you want to join me?" I asked hopefully.

"Sure,"

Tori looked reluctant to let us go on further, but Zig whispered something in her ear and she smiled and shooed us playfully. When we got a good distance away from the couple, Clare gave me a side-hug.

"Thank you!" she whispered in my ear.

"For?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Saving me! Tori has been pestering me with all of her relationship questions. 'Who are you dating?' 'Why not?' 'Don't you want a relationship?' I was about ready to tell her I'm a nun!" she exclaimed.

"Glad to be of service, ma'am," I said, secretly wishing I knew the answer to Tori's last question. I'll have to get it out of her eventually.

"Zig and her are a cute couple, but the pair aren't the sharpest tacks in the box," she said.

"Believe me, I know. Zig's vocabulary consists of two words; skateboard and Tori," I joked, earning a giggle from Clare. Music to my ears.

"Oh, be nice. Not all of us can be highly intelligent writers."

"Well, somehow we both ended up with that trait, Plath" I said, nudging her side.

"I'm not _that _great, Hughes." she teased.

"I'm serious! My grade in English sucks now that I don't have my wonderful editor," I said, hoping she didn't hear the pain in my voice. I really missed her, in _so many_ ways.

Clare probably picked up on the double meaning to my words, because when I looked at her she was frowning. "For me, as well," she replied.

"Hmm well maybe when we get out of here, I'll get Mrs. Dawes to make us partners again. I can be _very _persuasive, you know,"

"Oh, can you?" she grinned challengingy.

"Yup," I said, "truth or dare?"

"Really Eli? Truth or dare?" she asked. I just shrugged.

"Hmm well now that I know you are going to persuade me to do something absolutely crazy...truth," she said.

"When you put it like that, I just persuaded you to pick truth, but suit yourself. My question is; do you think we can ever pick up where we left off?"

Clare was silent for a few seconds, and it was killing me. "Before my issues," I added, knowing that was the source of her hesitation.

After a few more agonizing seconds of silence, Clare finally said, "Eli... I think that that question would be more appropriate for when we get out of here. But," she said, stopping in her tracks, "I'll give you a hint,"

I stopped as well and turned around to face her. By now, we were very far from Tori and Zig. It felt as though we were the only two people on earth. I could barely see Clare's face in the dim light, but her I saw her white teeth gleaming. She stepped towards me, and rested her hands on my shoulders. My heart was pounding in my ears. I put my arms around her waist and finally just pulled her in, unable to wait any longer. My lips met hers feverishly, and my tongue traced her lower lip. She let me in immediately. Our tongues battled while our lips moved in sync. My body felt like it was on fire, but I didn't really care enough to check. Soon, all too soon, we pulled away for air. This was unlike any kiss we'd shared when we dated. It was overwhelming.

"Wow," I laughed breathlessly.

"I know." she agreed.

"You've been holding out on me, Edwards," I accused playfully.

"Soooorry," she sang back, just as lightly.

I wanted to say something, to ask her what this meant, but I didn't want to ruin the moment. I settled for another double meaning.

"It's okay, I'll get you back sooner or later."

After Clare and I's little rendezvous, we decided to go back to Tori and Zig. We retraced our steps, filling the musty air with witty remarks and playful jabs. Clare's company is just so... refreshing. Things weren't even awkward after what just happened, and for that I was grateful. Maybe Clare was just as interested as I was? I don't know, but I only needed to get us out of here to find out.

As we walked down the hall, I heard something strangely familar.

"Clare, do you hear that?" I whispered.

"Hear what?" I put my fingers to her lips for a second and inclined my head.

"Is that...do you hear another person talking?"

She nodded. I pulled her into another crevice in the wall when I heard footsteps approaching us. What was heard next changed everything.

"Tori, Fitz is just pissed that he ran out of weed. We need to let him cool off."

"Maybe that's true, but I really hate being in this gross cave! We should end this for him, you know? Just get it over with. Maybe if we shoot the Clare girl, that will be good enough for Fitz. Poor Eli would be so sad. He did say that this prank was supposed to be on Eli, right?."

_Oh _hell _no. _

Clare tapped my shoulder and I looked back at her. Her expression was a mixture of fear and anger. I nodded in agreement, and gave her my best reassuring smirk.

"Right. That sounds like a plan. I say we give it a few hours, let them trust us, and then BAM! Pull out the guns on the chick," Zig said and Tori laughed. She _laughed _at the suggestion to kill Clare.

"I feel bad for doing this to Clare, though. I hope she won't hate me too much afterward," Tori said.

The two passed right in front of us and I held my breath. We waited until they were out of earshot to start talking.

"How would I even get the chance to hate her? I'd be dead!" Clare whispered.

"I know, that's what is really unsettling. They act as if they don't care if you die. Hell, they _want_ it to happen. And to top it off, they were talking to Fitz back there!" I said.

"I know. Did you catch the part where they said it was a prank on you? That means Fitz has had this planned for some time. He is so sick." she ranted.

"Agreed. I also wonder how he got the dream team out there to assist him in this."

"Ugh those stupid, lying niners. What are we going to do with them?" she asked, looking deep in thought.

"Fret not, Plath. I've got the perfect plan now."

She grinned. "Never thought I'd be glad to hear you say that, Hughes."

..

As Clare and I sat in our positions on opposing sides of the cavern, I shook with nerves. We were waiting for Tori and Zig to arrive to initiate our plan. This was going to work; it had to. I glanced over at Clare and smiled. She looked so pretty, even after spending the day in a cave. She smiled back at me for a moment until her head whipped to the side. She looked back at me and nodded. That was the signal.

I shakily got up from my hiding spot and went to stand by the crate.

"Tori! Zig!" I yelled.

"Eli?" I heard Zig's voice echo down a tunnel entrance.

"In here!" I shouted and then let my anxiety get the best of me for a second. I hopped from foot to foot and shook my shoulders. I looked back at Clare in her hiding spot and she smiled encouragingly. That was all I needed; my heart rate slowed and I felt suddenly confidant. Tori and Zig came running into the cavern. _Showtime._

"Oh, finally! We thought we'd lost you. Where's Clare?" Tori asked.

_Wouldn't you like to know. _

I sighed deeply, laying it on thick. "I'm not sure, I think she went down that hall. Or no! Maybe it was that one!" I exclaimed, pointing at two different tunnels that led from the cavern. "Ugh I don't know! I'm sorry! I just-"

"You don't know?" Zig asked.

"Exactly. Yes! We were hanging out in here and then she said she was going to go find you two. I... I just wasn't looking I guess. And then oh God! SHE'S GONE! FIND HER!" I screamed at the end.

"Dude, chill out. We'll find her," Zig said, putting his hand on one of my flailing arms.I shoved him off.

"NOW! FIND HER NOW! CLARE! CLARE!" I yelled, inwardly dying of laughter at Tori's freaked out face.

"Okay, I'm going! Calm the fuck down!" Zig shouted at me and sprinted headlong down one of the tunnels I'd pointed to.

"Zig, you're seriously leaving me here with this psycho?" Tori called, but Zig was already far out of earshot. I felt giddy but also sad at the same time. _Damn, anything to get away from the bipolar kid. But at least my plan is working._

Tori and I stared at eachother She smiled sheepishly as she backed slowly away from me and I grinned as I stalked towards her.

"You know, its not very nice to call people 'psycho'," I stated calmly, making her expression change from fear to confusion. She held up her gun.

"But- w-why aren't you-" she stuttered.

"Hey, Clare, can you give me a hand here?" I called out.

Clare emerged from her hiding spot. She was in my view, but behind Tori as she grabbed her by the arms and held her, causing Tori to drop her gun. Clare kicked it to the side. Tori screamed and called for Zig.

"Oh, Tori, he can't hear you right now. So shut the hell up." Clare said. I laughed; I didn't know she had it in her. Maybe being threatened with death really _does _bring out the best in people.

I went to the center of the room and grabbed the large crate, which was empty (Clare and I had made sure of this earlier). I hauled it over to Tori and Clare. Clare let her go as soon as I dropped the large weight, enclosing Tori like a cage. I took a step back and praised my work.

"Thank you, thank you. I know my plans are the best." I said.

Clare laughed and shook her head. "This is so wrong," she said.

"What they were planning to do was worse." I reminded her.

"Eli! Clare!" Tori yelled, snapping us out of our conversation.

"What do you want now? To kill me? Or Clare? Yeah, never going to happen Princess."

"Ugh, whatever, I don't even care anymore. You totally owe me Cuz!" she yelled at the air.

_And she calls _me _insane._

I was about to respond to her random outburst when someone else beat me to it.

_"I don't owe you shit, Tori. This is just too entertaining. Props to you, Emo Boy, for the sick plan that led to my cousin's capture. I think I'll just sit back and watch this thing while it gets good." _

Clare and I stood there wide-eyed as Tori started to cry.

"Why are you being so mean Mark! I just want to get out of here now! This isn't fun for me anymore."

Clare snorted. "Join the club."

I finally gained enough control of my voice to say. "This is the stupidest prank I have ever witnessed, Fitz. I guess I shouldn't act so surprised, though; it_ is_ one of yours."

_"Sure joke around, Emo Boy. Just know this; _nothing_ will end well for you or your __friends." _The speaker cut off, leaving the threat residing heavily in the air.


	8. Apologies

**Kind of random, but this chapter was inspired by the song Repeating Apologies by Of Mice and Men. Read/enjoy/review!**

Battle of Love

Chapter 8

**CLARE**

Eli and I executed the first part of his plan perfectly. Tori is now being held captive under a crate that once held Wonder Bread. Fitz of course had to come in on his speaker system (_the coward_) and try to scare us, but Eli and I knew that that was a definite possibility when we were talking the plan over. Consequently, I didn't feel any worse than before we trapped Tori. I looked at Eli to see if he'd been affected by Fitz's ominous words. He was staring at the ground with an unreadable expression.

"Eli, are you alright?" I asked as I hesitantly lifted my hand to his cheek. He flinched a little, but then relaxed his face into my palm.

"Yeah I'll be fine," he said, then opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to say something more. He grabbed my hand from his cheek with both of his and held it gently.

"What is it?"

"Clare, I just... I want to apologize. For everything, you know? For the way things ended between us last year. For dragging you into this stupid feud between me and Fitz. For getting you almost killed in here. I could go on for days, but I won't unless you want me to. I just can't express to you in words how much I am sincerely sorry." his voice broke a tiny bit at the end.

I tilted his chin up with my free hand so I could look him straight in his emerald eyes and said, "Eli, you know I don't blame you for anything that happened between us before. You were sick and you needed help that I, as a fifteen year old girl, could not provide. But you seem to be much better now and I am proud that you got that help. I do not blame you for what happened in the past, what is happening right now, or for what may happen in the future. So you shouldn't blame yourself either. There is no reason for us to dwell on the negative things so much."

Eli gazed at me with such a soft expression, that I think he forgot where we were. He brought my hand up to his lips and pecked it lightly. My skin tingled at the site of the simple gesture.

"You're incredible, you know that?" he whispered.

"As are you Eli. But right now, we must finish what we've started." I reminded him, pulling my hand away and looking back to Tori. She was sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head in her hands. Sobs erupted from her small frame.

"You better talk to this one. I'll probably lose my cool." I muttered to Eli. He nodded in agreement and put on a determined face.

"Okay so here's the deal, Tori. I think that I can speak for both Clare and I when I say that we don't trust you anymore. In fact, we _dis_trust you and Zig now. Besides being his cousin, why on Earth would you kill someone for Fitz? Did he threaten you or something?" he inquired.

Tori picked her head up to look at us as she spoke. "You...you have this all wrong."

"Explain then!" I snapped impatiently. Eli sighed and whispered in my ear, "Let me handle this." I nodded, slightly dazed from Eli's hot breath being on my neck. Eli smirked down at Tori and calmly said, "Yes, do tell."

"Oh fine. Fitz seems to hate me anyways so it's not like this can get much worse. You see, this whole thing was a prank on Eli..."

* * *

**ADAM**

Sav and I sat on the ground in Fitz's room, waiting for something to happen. Honestly, even though I knew that whatever Fitz had planned for us was going to be bad, waiting had to be the worst experience of all. It gives one the time to go through all of the possible outcomes and frankly scare the hell out of himself. I tried to occupy my active brain by looking for a way out of the room. I pushed the elevator button for the millionth time, but predictably, it didn't work. I hated to say that I was a bit impressed.

_How does Fitz pull this stuff off?_

I paced the perimeter of the room, pushing on the brick walls.

"Dude, what the heck are you doing?" Sav asked.

"Trying to get us the hell out of here. You know, since you didn't want to go to the cops or at least let me leave." I growled in annoyance.

"I told you I'm sorry. I don't know what I else I could do to show you that. And how is banging on the walls going to help us get out of here?"

I kept smacking the bricks, not bothering to answer his question. He laughed. "Just tell me; maybe I can help."

"Ugh, fine. You never know when there's going to be one of those secret lairs behind-" Just then, my hand came across a seemingly hollow part of the wall.

I hit it harder with my palm and it made a hollow _thud _sound. I gasped and turned to give Sav a grin.

"What? Did you find something?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm gonna need your help here, though." I motioned to the wall.

He nodded. "Let's just hope that this is an exit." I held my breath as he kicked in the wall in one swift movement.

"Boo yah!" I bumped his fist. We then looked at our surroundings. The room we'd broken into was exactly like Fitz's, except the walls were covered in movie posters and there was a recliner across from a television in one corner of the room. Beer cans scattered the floor, misting the already damp air with the scent of alcohol.

_What did we just get ourselves into?_

Sav looked at me like he was thinking the same thing, and just as we were turning to walk back to the familiarity of Fitz's room, a southern accent greeted us.

"Howdy chillins. There a reason you broke my humble abode?" Laying in the bed in one corner of the room was the guy who'd taken our admission into the laser tag place earlier. He had a really bad combover and wore a Hawaiian shirt over boxers. I cringed at the obvious creepiness of the guy and the situation we were in. Sav spoke up when I didn't.

"Sir! I'm really sorry about breaking down the wall, but we really need some help!"

"Woah, woah. Take a seat, rest your bones." he slurred, patting the recliner arm next to the bed. Sav went and sat down while I stood my ground. No way was I going to get closer to this weirdo. He chuckled at my awkward stance.

"Suit yourself, kiddo. You guys want a beer? I've got..._hiccup..._plenty." Sav declined and looked at me. I sighed in frustration.

"Listen, guy. We don't really have time for this. A kid named Fitz is trying to kill two of my best friends so can you like call the cops or let-"

"Fitz? You mean little Marky? Oh no, you boys must be the ones on the receiving end of my nephew's fun prank. I told him he could use the tunnels for it yesterday. Did he get around to the punch line yet? The punch line's always the best...the coolest part."

I was a tad confused at his slurred words; obviously the guy was blasted. I did get out that he was Fitz's uncle. Did that mean he was Tori's dad? I decided to find out.

"Wait; are you Tori's dad?"

"Oh, my little girl! How is she enjoying the show? Marky said it would keep her entertained for awhile. I just feel bad for leaving her and her mo-"

"Sir! Your daughter is in trouble_. Marky _is trying to kill her and two of my friends. He already killed three innocent kids in the tunnels. We need to call the cops!" I said, trying to make the drunk man understand the seriousness of the situation. He sat up slowly.

"Tori's in trouble?"

"Yes, a lot of trouble! Mark has gone insane! Please, we need to get help. At least let us out of here if you won't call the cops."

"Can't call the popo, sorry. I'm lying low right now, if you couldn't tell. So is Marky; that's why he's living with me. Such a stupid move if you ask me, getting arrested at that age. Oh well, the past is...the past. Now we focus on the present."

"Right...so are you going to help us save your daughter or what?" Sav asked.

The man looked at the two of us and grinned a cheeky grin. "What do y'all think?"

* * *

**CLARE**

Tori just finished telling us all about Fitz's prank. It sounds really stupid, and I don't know if she can be trusted. Still, I played along with her to see if I could find any truth to her words.

"So do you have any idea why he would do this?" I asked.

"He just said it would be funny. I don't really know him well enough to know why he targeted Eli and now you Clare. And I suppose that me and Zig can't be excluded from his list of targets anymore..."

"How is killing people funny!" Eli yelled. I jumped, startled from his outburst. He had been so quiet throughout Tori's explanation of the prank that I'd practically forgotten he was standing right next to me. I looked at him, but he was busy staring daggers at Tori.

_ This seems oddly familiar..._

_ "_Eli, I told you. They're tranquilizers. They just knock you out for a few hours." Tori eased.

"Then how can you explain my dead friends in the other room?"

"Not dead; sleeping." she said simply.

"We took their pulses; they had none! If you didn't know this Tori, no pulse means you're _dead. _Fucking dead, never to see the light of day one more time. Did Fitz tell you that the tranquilizers stop hearts? Cause if he said you could survive that then he was LYING. How could you be so naive?"

Suddenly, I recognized what was so familiar about the situation. This type of behavior with Eli had happened before...near the end of our relationship. This time, though, I wasn't going to run away like a weak little girl; I would help him through it. I confidently grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Sorry, sorry." he muttered to me.

"Eli, have you taken your medication recently?" I whispered.

"Uh yeah, of course. Sorry, I just got a little...worked-up." he said unconvincingly. I frowned.

"Eli, you know I know when you're lying. Do you at least have it with you?

"No, I don't so could we just stop talking about it? It kind of makes it harder when I think about it too much." He sounded miserable and I felt bad for bringing it up. I gave him a hug from the side as an apology.

"Whoa." he breathed.

"What did I do wrong?" I pulled away quickly, thinking I'd hurt him or something. _Can I ever not be awkward?_

"No, you did nothing wrong. Just the opposite, actually. I felt like, in control of myself when you hugged me." Warmth flooded my heart at his words. I actually made him feel good instead of bad. What a welcome change that was. "_Thank _you." he added.

"My pleasure." I replied honestly. Eli put his arm around my shoulders and we grinned at eachother.

"Aw, you guys are so totally adorbs! Clare, I thought you said you didn't like anyone!" Tori interjected.

I tried to hide my blushing face with my hair as Eli peeked down at me.

"Yes, Clare. Why don't you fill us in?" he said innocently, but I could tell he was holding in laughter. The boy really does know how to push my buttons. But God do I love it. I glared at him for a few seconds until he actually looked hurt.

I surrendered. "Ugh fine! Eli... I like you, and I've missed you. Is that what you guys wanted to hear?"

Tori 'aw'ed again and Eli tightened his grip on my waist. He leaned down to my ear and whispered, "Precisely." A shiver went down my spine that jolted me back to reality. I cleared my throat.

"As much as I love this moment, it's really irrelevant to what's happening. Like Eli was saying, Tori, the three kids who were shot did not have a pulse. How can that be written off as a tranquilizer?"

Tori opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Zig running into the room.

"What the hell is going on in here?" he yelled.

"Zig, just wait-" Tori began.

"NO!" he roared, "Fitz just told me that Eli took advantage of you and then put you in a cage! And it looks like it's true!"

Zig came over and shoved Eli roughly away from me and poked his gun against my head. I squeaked and looked to Eli for help.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" he yelled and aimed his own gun at Zig.

The metal barrel against my head and Zig's arms around my torso seemed to make everything happen in slow motion. The only thing I felt was absolute terror.

"No way! This is going to end here and now. You deserve everything that happens to you."

"I'll fucking shoot you where you stand if you don't let her go in five seconds." Eli warned menacingly. I gasped as Zig's gun pressed harder against my temple. The pain didn't even register at that moment.

"Okay, I'll count for your dumb ass. 5..." Eli began.

Tori was screeching out Zig's name over and over, and Zig finally seemed to take note of it. He turned his head towards Tori in the crate and said "What?"

"4..."

"Zig, Eli didn't do anything to me. You can't shoot Clare!"

"Why not? It's what we were planning to do anyways, may as well do it now."

"3..." I looked at Tori pleadingly. She nodded and talked more softly to Zig.

"Babe, Mark lied to us. He said that our guns shoot tranquilizers, but we know that's not true. The kids in the other room aren't sleeping- they're dead! And remember how he told us to do anything, even if it means we get shot?"

"He wants us dead, doesn't he?" Zig finished for her. She nodded and started to cry. Zig's constricting grip on my chest dropped along with the gun from my head. Eli saw this and rushed over to rip Zig's gun from his hand.

"I'll take this." he said. I just stood there in complete shock from the trauma of having a gun pressed to my head. Eli slung the gun over his shoulder and turned to me. "Are you okay Clare?" I slowly shook my head no. He came over and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. The tears that I hadn't noticed in my eyes before were now streaming down my face and into Eli's tee shirt. "It was- oh Eli it was horrible." I sobbed. He rubbed my back soothingly.

"It's alright. I'm here now. I won't let you anyone hurt you. I swear I'll take a bullet for you if that's what it comes to. You'll be okay. You'll be okay," he repeated softly in my ear. I felt the raw emotion in his words and that alone made me want to hug him forever and never leave the spot we stood in. There was only one thing that could ruin a moment like this. And sure enough, it did.

_"Aw look, my two favorite couples. Care if I join your game?" _

* * *

**Last cliffhanger, I promise. Actually, there are only like two more chapters left! What's going to happen? IDK.**

**Thank you again princess amy for reviewing. Only one lol, but that's fine with me. I still plan on finishing my story! Thanks for reading!**

**Until next time, Lindsey.**


	9. Fervor

Battle of Love

Chapter 9

**ELI**

Right when everything seems good in my life, it is always torn away. I've accepted this fact over the years, but that doesn't make it any easier to cope when it happens in actuality. Clare said that she _likes _me. _She _likes _me. _I couldn't help but think about how many months I waited for her to say something remotely civil towards me. How many times did I rewrite Love Roulette in hopes of making it have this exact ending? Why does life decide to screw me over _now_?

I was holding the love of my life for what seemed to be the first time in forever. I had just about forgotten everybody and everything apart from the crying girl in my arms. We were comforting each other; she recently had a gun pressed against her head while I have a permanent ticking time bomb inside mine. Clare's touch (like my medication) desensitized the bomb for a while, therefore giving me the rationality to soothe her. I kissed the tears from her cheeks and rubbed her upper back, doing everything I could think of to ease her pain. She soon started to calm down, relaxing into my embrace.

_"Aw, look. My two favorite couples. Care if I join your game?" _Fitz's hoarse voice sounded very close.

Clare's petite body jolted up so fast that her head slammed into my chin, causing me to bite my tongue, hard. My mouth was immediately immersed in the taste of blood and I nearly gagged. That was the last of my worries, though. I whipped around to see Fitz standing at the open metal door holding a gun against a blond girl's head. Her expression reminded me of Clare's just a few moments ago; terrified and pleading. I panicked, not knowing that Fitz was going to bring someone else into this. Also, I didn't have time to tell Tori or Zig the second part to my plan. We'd just have to improvise. "Maya!" Tori yelled.

I spat out the blood in my mouth before murmuring to Clare. "You'll have to do it now honey."

She nodded and gave me a tiny sad smile before she faced Fitz. _Oh, how I'm going to hate this. _I thought.

"Oh _please _Fitz, Eli and I aren't together anymore. He's just a psycho who's always been obsessed with me." Clare laughed dryly. Even though I knew Clare didn't mean what she'd said, I still felt a huge lump in my throat at her words. I heard Tori gasp and I turned away from Fitz slightly to mouth to her a quick "play along". She whispered something to Zig and he nodded and grinned at me. Satisfied with our silent agreement, I faced Fitz and Clare's back as she inched towards him. Fitz eyed her hungrily and licked his lips. I gagged again, but not from the taste in my mouth. _What a sick fuck._

"You two looked pretty cozy a few seconds ago, candy pants." he observed suspiciously.

"So? I'm allowed to have fun with whoever I want. And that includes you." Clare was now right in front of him, and she placed a finger on his chest on her last word. Fitz looked like he was already under Clare's spell. His gun dropped from the blond girl's head and she ran in my direction. I lifted an eyebrow, but she ran past me towards Tori and Zig. I looked back momentarily and the three of them were in a group hug, the blond girl sobbing and apologizing for some reason I couldn't fathom. _I'm the one to blame for this chaos._

I turned back around when I heard a soft whimper. I almost flipped my shit right then and there. Fitz had Clare pressed up against the wall and his hands were groping her dress-clad body. Clare was doing so well, and I knew that instead of going ballistic, I needed to fulfill my side of the plan as well.

"Fitz get the fuck off her!" I yelled.

Fitz slowly, creepily, turned his head in my direction and grinned at me. I glared right back.

"Why, are you jealous emo boy?" he chortled. I looked at Clare behind him who appeared frantic. She was trying to accomplish a key element in our plan; getting Fitz's gun. I soon noticed that Fitz had his gun slung across his shoulder on a strap, making it extra difficult for Clare to get it off in a hurry. My eyes widened and I spoke before thinking.

"Of course not. If anything, you're the jealous one."

Fitz's scoffed and said, "Even though the bitch wants me and not a crazy piece of shit like you."

"Crazy? I'm not the one who created this fucked up prank."

"Yeah, but I heard about your little disorder. And how you crashed your hearse for Clare just because she stood you up for the dance. _You _are messed, emo boy. Even Saint Clare here thinks so." he grinned and reached back to pat Clare's head. She flinched at the unexpected touch. I was getting seriously enraged, but tried to contain myself for Clare's sake. She was my first priority, and if taking Fitz's harsh words would buy her more time, then I would do it in a heartbeat.

"I might be fucked up but I would never kill another human being." I said quietly. Fitz barked out one short, disbelieving laugh.

"Is that right?" he started to laugh again, harder, and doubled over. I could see over his shoulder that Clare was attempting to use her small fingers to unlatch his gun strap without him feeling it. It must have been very tough, because her face scrunched up in concentration.

Fitz recovered enough from his laughing fit to say, "Then how would you explain the three dead kids down the tunnel? Or if you want to blame those ones on me, go ahead. But what about _Julia_?"

My stomach dropped and my entire body covered itself in a cold sweat. That was a low blow, even for Fitz.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." I growled.

He looked me dead in the eyes for a second and just when I thought he'd decided to heed my suggestion, he snorted. "So you did kill her! Man, that's priceless. I bet you just feel so guilty, don't you?"

I gave him a death glare and breathed heavily through my nose.

When I didn't respond he continued, "You do, I can just tell. I bet you see her lying dead on the pavement, cold and lifeless, when you close your eyes to go to sleep. I bet you imagine yourself behind the wheel of the car that crashed-"

"MARK SHUT UP!" Tori screamed for me, cutting Fitz off. I mentally rolled my eyes. _Just about fucking time. _Fitz's eyes darted to where Tori sat behind me and I took this distraction as another chance to look at Clare. Her face lit up when I saw that she had gotten the strap undone. She held it carefully on Fitz's shoulder and looked at me to tell her what to do. I gave her a small nod, telling her without speaking to get it over with. She yanked on the strap roughly and the gun went flying to the ground. Fitz barely had time to realize what was going on -for he and Tori were still going back and forth- before Clare grabbed the gun and skirted around him to sprint directly to me. Fitz stood his ground, appearing very shocked. I grinned at him and wrapped my arm around Clare's shoulder, pulling her in to give her a kiss on the lips. We both laughed giddily into the kiss, tasting sweet victory. I pulled away and laughed at Fitz's dumbfounded expression.

"Not so high and mighty anymore, are you Fitzy?" I asked. He switched glares between Clare and I. Clare pointed her gun at his face and said, "How do you like it?" Again, I was impressed by her audacity. Fitz seemed frozen in place for a moment, but then put his fingers to his mouth and blew. The loudest, most annoying whistle came from his lips, and I was surprised Clare's finger didn't flinch from the noise and accidentally pull the trigger. I can't say that I wasn't a little disappointed.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded.

Fitz only grinned and looked behind him. When I saw what he was looking at, I gasped in horror. Emerging from the metal door in a cloud of smoke was a crowd of silhouettes carrying guns. They were the kids we came in the game with. No wonder we hadn't seen them before; they were with Fitz the whole time. Clare's ex, KC Guthrie, was at the front with Fitz and he tossed him another gun. Clare tugged on my t-shirt and whispered, "Eli, I think we should run." I narrowed my eyes at the group but nodded nonetheless and turned on my heels to run towards a tunnel at the back of the cavern. Tori, Zig, and the blond girl must have hauled ass awhile ago, because they were nowhere in sight.

"Run emo boy! Take your little whore too!" Fitz yelled and his and KC's laughter faded away as we ran down the musty tunnel. It smelled disgusting in there. I suddenly slowed as the realization hit and Clare looked back at me, confused.

"This is the tunnel where...you know..." I trailed off, because she knew exactly what I was referring to. This was the tunnel in which Fiona, Declan, and Imogen's bodies were. I shuddered at the thought of Clare going near such morbidity.

"We kind of don't have a choice Eli." she said hurriedly, sensing my distress. I sighed and started to run again, not bothering to see if she was following behind. All I could think about was getting past the bodies. Getting past my friends, that I loved-no _love _dearly. Imogen, the only girl aside from Clare that truly understood me, is _dead._ Of all of the times it could have happened, of course the crushing grief would hit me right now, in the cannon's mouth. I slowed again until I stopped in the middle of the tunnel. I sank to my knees, feeling the familiar tightness in my chest that made it hard to breathe. I gasped for air and ripped off my t-shirt, trying to find some way to alleviate the crushing sensation. My heart was hammering in my ears, and I began to cry. I seriously couldn't believe that I was having a full blown anxiety attack right in front of Clare. The fact made me even more panicky. I put my head between my knees and tried in vain to remember what my therapist told me to do in this type of situation.

"Eli are you alright?" Clare asked softly.

Through my hyperventilation and sobbing, I was able to give her a small laugh and say, "Just...a small...panic attack...I'll live."

I felt Clare sit next to me and wrap her arm around my bare shoulders. Already, I knew I was going to be alright.

"Just breathe. Breathe." Clare whispered, gingerly rubbing her palms over my shoulder blades. The first thing to go were the tears from my eyes, so I lifted my head to look at Clare. Her beauty took my breath away, if such a thing was possible in my state. She smiled and hugged me from the side. This caused my hyperventilation to slowly dissipate as well. I could still feel the pain in my chest, but it was dull, subdued.

"Thank you." I murmured, hiding my face in her soft hair. She pulled back and her cheeks were rosy pink. I had to admit, it was damn cute. "I love your blush." I blurted. She smiled again and leaned in slowly- obviously about to kiss me-when there was shouting down the tunnel. "I'll check down here!"

Clare and I jerked back, and she whispered, "That's KC. Come on." She got up and grabbed my hand. I ran with her down the tunnel, the stench of death getting worse and worse the farther we went. Finally, we came across the bodies of Imogen and Fiona. I averted my eyes and pinched my nose with my free hand, and Clare did the same. We stayed close to the wall as we passed. Soon, Imogen, Fiona, _and_ Declan were all behind us and we were free from the horrors. Well, _those _horrors.

We ran hand in hand until I felt like my lungs were going to burst. I stopped abruptly and Clare's hand was ripped from mine.

"Clare, I can't-I'm sorry. Anxiety attacks take a lot out of you." I clutched my bare sides, which were on fire.

"It's fine. I really need a break right now too," she told me breathlessly. I nodded and led her back to a crevice in the wall. We settled into the tight space, our sides pressed up against each other. Clare giggled.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing. I think I'm going into shock." She laughed again. It was really cute in a weird way.

"Okay Blue Eyes, you do that. Just let me know if you need me to slap you," I joked lightly.

"Sure," she sighed and laid her head on my shoulder. I felt so content with Clare by my side that I really couldn't care less that we were in the stupid cave anymore.

"Hey Eli?" Clare said softly, turning to look up at me.

"Hm?"

"I just wanted to say...if we don't make it out of here our whatever...that I...I love you."

My heart just about jumped out of my chest when she said that. _Did I hear her right?_

"Uh what?" I asked, just to be sure. She frowned a little.

"I said that I love you...but if you don't feel the same way anymore then I would-" I silenced her rambling with a sweet, chaste kiss. I pulled back and stared into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Clare, I've always loved you. I don't think that I could ever stop." I assured her. I cradled her face in my hands and she smiled. "I'm glad."

We sat like that for an unmeasurable amount of time, until footsteps were heard outside in the tunnel. I peeked out and saw KC walking down the tunnel with his hand over his mouth, as if he were going to wretch.

"Clare? Eli?" he whisper-shouted. Obviously, we didn't answer so he called again. "Guys, if you can hear me just know that I didn't know Fitz is killing people. I'll be on your team. I just saw the three down the hall... oh god." he bent over and threw up. I looked at Clare and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. I winced in agreement upon listening to KC's noises.

"I think we can trust him." she whispered.

"You're serious?"

"Of course I am. I mean, he couldn't really fake vomit without shoving his fingers down his throat. So that means he was really disgusted with the...bodies. If he knew there were dead people in here, he probably wouldn't have come. We should trust him." she repeated. I was a little skeptical, but Clare's reasoning was hard to dispute.

"I'll talk to him." I concluded and she sighed shakily.

"Maybe I should Eli."

"No. I don't want you to get hurt." I almost pleaded with her. She caressed my cheek with her fingertips and sighed again. "Eli I can take care of myself. And this makes the most sense; KC has a soft spot for me since we dated."

I was getting slightly hysteric. I couldn't help it, this situation once again reminded me of that fateful night three years ago. I refused to let another person that I love die, even if that means me getting killed for them.

"Clare, please. I'm begging you here. I love you." She sat silently in response to my pleas, most likely having an internal battle. Finally, she spoke.

"Fine...we'll go together. And this time, we're getting out of here no matter what."

* * *

**OKAY I LIED. There may be more than one chapter left. In fact, I know there is. Just hang in there, I love you readers! Did you enjoy the cute little eclare scene(s)? I did...and writing them is making me even more excited for July 16th! Woops getting off track here.**

**Reviews are immensely appreciated. Have a fantastic week, I'll be updating as soon as possible!**

**(p.s No, I would not like to see anyone cry because of me ))**


	10. Denouement

Battle of Love

Chapter 10

**CLARE**

I crept down the wretched-smelling corridor in search of KC with Eli close at my side. He kept walking slightly ahead of me, apparently trying to shield me with his body, but it wasn't working seeing as I was trying to do the same thing for him. Such an odd thing love is.

"Eli, can we just walk?" I giggled as I caught up to match his tempo. He nodded his head and threw an arm over my shoulder, pulling me flush against his side.

"Will do, Blue Eyes. We both go down together, right?"

"If by 'going down together' you mean getting the heck out of here together; then yes _Green Eyes_, you're correct."

Eli grinned and then pressed his uplifted lips to my forehead. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ingrain the delightful sensation of his warm lips on my skin into my memory. I may have been hiding it extremely well, but inside I was feeling hopelessly pessimistic about the outcome of this whole ordeal. It was difficult to concur with, but Fitz had outsmarted us in the long run. Well, more like outgunned us, but that's beside the point. The point _was_ that there was an enormous possiblity that either Eli, I or both of us were going to be killed very soon, and I needed to savor every moment that we had together. I couldn't deny that our relationship was rather out of the blue, but honestly I didn't care anymore. Eli makes me feel safe and loved and wonderful and so many other things and I wouldn't wish to spend my last moments with anyone else. I love him.

"I love you." Eli whispered in my ear and hugged me tighter to his side.

"I was just thinking the same thing about you." I admitted.

"Well that's good to know because it means I get to do this-" Eli said as he swooped down and kissed me, taking my breath away. I closed my eyes and moved my lips with his passionately. Things started to escalate when Eli moved his hand up and down my spine, finally resting it on my lower back and making me shiver in pleasure. I couldn't even remember my own name, let alone the fact that there was a knife hanging over our heads. Eli and I opened our mouths at the same time to thrust our tongues together aggressively. My palms (embarrassingly) were sweating off the fire that consumed my entire body, but Eli didn't seem to mind when he took them in his own and placed them around his neck. I ran my fingers through his wavy hair, wanting to feel every part of him right then.

"_Ahem_." Eli's and my lips instantly stopped moving but remained locked. My eyes flew open to find Eli was staring back at me, wide-eyed. We slowly disentangled ourselves and turned in the direction of the interferance.

"Er...sorry to interrupt." KC said awkwardly. Eli grabbed his gun from it's resting position beneath his arm and pointed it directly at KC's chest.

"It's no problem," I assured him, even though I wished I could tape KC's mouth shut for ruining mine and Eli's moment. "We uh, heard what you were saying before. You really want to help us?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I saw what happened down the tunnel...it's horrible. I'm really sorry about your friends Eli. I should have known Fitz was-"

Eli cut him off, "It's alright man, don't beat yourself up about it. Believe me when I say I know how much _that _sucks. All that matters now is getting out of here safe and undetected. I'm assuming Fitz doesn't know that you ditched his little power squad?" Eli questioned.

"No, why?"

"You could distract them or...lead them astray. Tell them we went one way and we'll go another to make our escape. You can join us of course, after telling them which way to go. How does that sound?"

"Well it sounds like it would work if everyone wasn't split up already. There are like ten different tunnels in this place and every single one has someone in it. I guess I could try to round them all up and then send them in the wrong direction." he mused. Eli nodded.

"I'd say that's our best bet. You would have to signal us somehow when you get them going the wrong way so that we'd know when to run the other way. Too bad there's no cell service in this place."

I finally voiced my qualms, "Guys, not to rain on your parade or anything, but aren't you forgetting Tori, Zig, and Maya? We can't just leave them in here."

Eli turned to address me directly. "Clare, I know this may sound extremely selfish, but I need to get you out of here safely first. I can't...I won't lose you like this."

I tried my hardest not to agree with what Eli was saying, but it was hard. He was much more important to me than anyone else, myself included, and I didn't want to jeopardize his safety in any way.

"Ugh, you make it so hard for me to see reason. Some help here KC?" I asked, attemting to avoid Eli's puppy dog face.

"Um...I agree with Eli." he said against my plea for help. I gave him an exasperated look and he put his hands up in defense. "Clare look; you may not care about me anymore, and for that you have good reason. But I still care for you. I think that we should get you and Eli out first, seeing as you guys are already here and ready to go. We can come back and get the niners when we have police protection. By the way, Eli, there is cell phone reception. Did you even try your phone?"

"Yeah, I tried calling 911 and my parents. Nothing."

"Funny, it worked when Fitz sent the text to Adam..."

"Adam! Oh my god is he okay?" Eli and I exclaimed at the same time. KC laughed at our little 'jinx' moment but then nodded.

"Last time I saw him, he was trying to bust out of Fitz's room in the basement with Sav Bhandari. Who knows where that guy came from. Fitz was too captivated by your little plan to trap Tori that he didn't even notice when they tore the wall down. That's all I saw before Fitz went nuts on the little blond girl- Maya was it?- for admitting that she told Adam about Fitz's prank; not Tori. Poor girl, I don't even know why she confessed. It kind of made things worse. You guys saw the rest when he came out with the gun pressed up against her head."

"So Adam is still alive?" I asked for clarification.

"From what I saw, yes." KC said. Eli and I sighed in relief. I felt a huge weight come off of my shoulders, and I could imagine Eli, in all his guilt and self-blame, felt the same way. Adam was Eli's best friend, and it would kill Eli to know that Adam was hurt because of a prank that was aimed solely at him.

"Fitz sent him a text? How did it get through?" I asked as I pulled my own phone out of my bra. The two guys stared at me like I was from a different planet.

"What? I'm not seeing any pockets in this dress!" I defended.

Eli laughed and KC rolled his eyes. "You're so cute." Eli whispered in my ear. I grinned and wrapped my arms around his waist. He pecked my cheek sweetly. KC gawked at us.

"I'm just not going to comment. To answer your question, though, I'm thinking that texts can be sent and received as long as it's from another part of the cave. Why don't we try it out? Clare, do you still have my number?"

I nodded and looked through my contacts list for KC's name. When I found it, I asked, "Text or call?"

"Call, it's much faster."

"Amen to that. At least some people in this society get it!" Eli blurted randomly. I raised an eyebrow and laughed. "You're one of a kind, Eli Goldsworthy."

"You love it." he said and as I called KC's number I replied, "Never said I didn't."

Just then, KC's obnoxiously loud phone echoed down the tunnel.

_ If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go. I can take you places you ain't never been before. Baby, take a chance or you'll never ever know. I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow. Swag, swag, swa-_

"Oh my god KC turn that down!" I nearly yelled. First of all, how did he even know that song? Second of all, why the _in the world_ was it my ring tone on his phone?

"Sorry." KC muttered as he frantically fumbled to answer the phone. I slid my phone shut to end the call and put it back in it's secure spot.

"Although you lost half your respect right there, man, I'm really glad it worked." Eli laughed.

"Me too. So let's do this thing. I'm going to head down this way, if you don't mind. I really can't go back and see...you know. I'll call you and let you know which way you should leave the tunnel." We nodded and KC started walking.

"Be careful!" I called to him before he walked out of sight. I turned to Eli and he smirked. "So..." he trailed off.

"So..." I repeated. We stood staring at each other for approximately two more seconds before Eli pushed me into the stone wall and attacked me hungrily with his lips. I was a little taken aback by his ferocity but soon caught up and kissed him back with just as much fervor. It was like KC hadn't even interrupted us before, we didn't miss a single beat. Eli's hands traveled up and down my waist until he suddenly gripped the backs of my thighs. I let him bring them up around his hips and wrapped them tightly around his back. He pulled his face away and before I could complain, he leaned down and started sucking on my neck. I moaned loudly, but then covered my mouth after I realized what I'd just let out. Eli's mouth stopped and he lifted his head to look at me. My face was was definitely tomato red.

"I love you Clare. There's no need to be embarrassed." he said softly.

I smiled wistfully and slid my legs back to the ground. "I love you too. But maybe we should...slow down a little. I want 'us' to last this time. Are we even official?"

"If you want us to be. I'll even tweet it when we get out of here."

"Goldsworthy sarcasm. Gotta love it at a moment like this." I grumbled. He sighed and pressed his lips to my forehead once more.

"Sorry, it's a reflex. Yes Clare, we are official. You're mine and I'm yours."

I smiled a genuine smile and stood on my tiptoes to peck his lips.

_I hold on to the night you looked me in the eyes and told me you loved me. Were you just kidding 'cause it seems to me this thing is breaking down. We almost never-_

I pulled my phone out and grinned when I saw KC's number flashing on the screen. I answered and set it to speaker phone so Eli could hear.

"KC? That was fast. Which way do we go?" I asked excitedly.

"Uh... go... *crash_*..._ow fuck!" he screeched. "Just go the way I went Clare."

"What was that?" Eli and I asked at the same time.

"N-nothing I just fell down. Skinned my knee, I'll be fine. Just hurry up and go down the way _I did_." he urged.

"Okay, we'll see you soon." I said and ended the call quickly. Eli and I looked at each other and both said, "Other way."

There was definitely something up. KC must have gotten caught. He was hinting heavily at the end of the call to go down the way he came. So that's what we did. We sprinted hand in hand past the bodies of Imogen, Fiona, and Declan and slowed to a saunter when we neared the entrance to the cavern. Eli pulled my body behind his as he peeked out into the cavern with his gun readily at hand. I rolled my eyes at his protectiveness, but let him do the honors nonetheless.

"They're all in there with KC. Fitz has a gun to his head." Eli whispered back to me. I gasped. "KC did the right thing. They _are _waiting at the other end of this tunnel. Shit we need a distraction." he muttered.

"I can-"

"No, Clare! If anyone's going to risk their life it's me. I need to end this stupid feud for once and for all." He started to walk out into the cavern but I pulled him back by the arm.

"No chance Goldsworthy."

He sighed and looked at me. "I guess this means we've stagnated."

At that point in time, there was a loud crash in the cavern that caused Eli and I to stick our heads out to see what happened.

"_Put your hands where I can see them!" _a husky voice bellowed. The group of teens all threw their arms above their heads and I smirked. Fitz had dropped his gun to put his hands up and KC just sat there with an unreadable expression on his face. Three men with mustaches and cop uniforms came out into the cavern with guns raised. It was like something out of a movie.

"_MARK FITZGERALD GET YOUR ASS ON THE GROUND!" _the largest cop demanded. Fitz looked really confused but soon his lips lifted into a wide smile.

"Oh hey Uncle Steve. I was just about to finish up in here. Why the uniform?" he asked calmly.

My heart sank. These weren't cops. Just some more freaking Fitzgeralds. Eli stood rigid at my side.

"Because I say you're done with this fucking prank, Mark. My assistants said that you threatened my daughter. Where is she?"

Everything clicked in my head. This man was Fitz's uncle, and he was talking about Tori, Fitz's cousin. I grinned and nudged Eli with my elbow. Eli looked like he wanted to run back down the tunnel but I shook my head at him. This was so going to get good.

"Um...well she's... just down the tunnel. I never threatened her, what are you talking about?" Fitz lied pathetically.

The two shorter cops went over and grabbed Fitz's arms and put them behind his back.

"What am I talking about? I'm talking about the fucking hit list you so kindly wrote on the wall in my guest room. With fucking Sharpie, might I add. Here, let's see..." the man looked down at something written on his hand, "Eli Goldsworthy, Clare Edwards, Fiona Coyne, Declan Coyne, Imogen Moreno, and COUSIN TORI plus STUPID BOYFRIEND. You hurt my baby!" he accused.

"N-no Steve. She's fine!" Fitz cried as the two cops put handcuffs around his wrists and brought him over to his uncle. I took a look at the two cops and narrowed my eyes. They looked awfully familiar... Eli suddenly gasped and ran out into the cavern before I could even process what was happening.

"Adam! Dude!" Eli yelled as he ran and gave the shortest cop a man-hug. I lit up when I heard a familiar voice say, "Hey Eli." I followed Eli's example and ran into the cave to embrace Adam. I didn't even care that Fitz was two steps away. He was handcuffed anyway.

"Hello to you too Clare. You guys missed me, admit it." Adam laughed from behind his fake mustache.

"We did!" Eli and I cried at the same time. I pulled the two guys into a group hug and blubbered my eyes out. When Adam pulled away, Eli still held me around the waist while cried into his shoulder. Adam stared at us strangely.

"Little police assistant, you can have your little reunion later. First, we need to find my Tori and then put this craziness behind us." Fitz's uncle said to Adam and he nodded. They started walking towards a random tunnel, Fitz in tow. The other cop guy, Sav Bhandari, flashed Eli and I an apologetic smile before following the others.

I laughed at the absurdity of this entire situation. I couldn't even believe all that had happened in such a short amount of time. Eli kissed the top of my head and whispered, "I know."

I looked at the group of kids who were still standing with their hands above their heads and staring at us. "What?" Eli snapped at them. Instantaneously, they all averted their shameful gazes to the ground. KC got up from his position on the ground and walked over to us.

"You alright?" I asked. He gave me a short, unconvincing nod. I smiled to let him know I knew what he was feeling. "Let's get out of here then."

* * *

**An epilogue of sorts will be coming soon. It will explain all the little loose ends and what happens next with our beloved Degrassi characters. Thank you all for reading (and double thanks to those who reviewed)!**** It truly means alot to me. **

**Songs used in this chapter: Boyfriend by Justin Bieber, Forever And Always by Taylor Swift (Neither are owned by me)**

**Song that inspired this story: Lead Me Out Of The Dark by Crown The Empire (I do not own this song either)**

**-Lindsey**


	11. Epilogue

**And here it is, the last chapter to Battle of Love. This was my very first fanfic, and I enjoyed the ride very much! Thank you to everyone who spent their time reading/reviewing/loving/hating my story! I wish I could give you all hugs for encouraging me, but that is sadly impossible. Thanks again! (THIS EPILOGUE TAKES PLACE 2 MONTHS AFTER CHAPTER 10)**

* * *

Battle of Love

Chapter 11

**ELI**

I sat in the back of my Senior Advanced English class, trying my best to focus on what Mrs. Dawes was talking about. This task was easier said than done, considering the fact that my beautiful girlfriend was running her fingers through my hair and massaging my neck. I smirked and leaned back in my desk, allowing her more access and not really caring what Mrs. Dawes had to say anymore. Clare continued her ministrations for about five more minutes until I felt her tapping my shoulder. I snapped out of my trance enough to notice that the class had begun talking amongst each other. I spun around and grinned at her.

"Why hello there my little masseuse."

She laughed and said, "Hello my favorite customer slash English partner slash boyfriend. What does my English partner think about the assignment Dawes gave us?" I stared at her blankly when she said this and she laughed again. "Elijah Goldsworthy not paying attention in class. Color me surprised!" she proclaimed sarcastically.

"Hey! You can blame that on your pretty little self." I touched the tip of her nose with my pointer finger. She bowed her head, obviously trying to hide her now tinted cheeks. I smirked and coaxed her face up again. I lost myself in her blue eyes as she gazed at me flirtatiously.

Suddenly, something plopped onto Clare's desk, startling us both. I looked down at the newspaper that now resided on Clare's desk, and then up to where it came from.

"Mr. Goldsworthy, Ms. Edwards. I'm just going to assume that neither of you have telepathy, therefore you should actually _discuss _the essay I assigned." Mrs. Dawes commanded sternly, but she wore a small grin. "Choose a current event article, and then write a three page essay on how the event affects your lives. I expect only the best from you two." We muttered our assent, and she walked back up to her desk. Momentarily, I was reminded of how easy it was to convince her to make Clare and I partners again after _the incident_. I believed that the lack of difficulty was due to my bipolar disorder, but sometimes I'm inclined to think that she wants our relationship to happen more than Clare and I combined. It's nice in a creepy, inappropriate sort of way. Clare pulled me from my thoughts.

"You want to give me a hand here?" she asked, holding today's issue of _The Core_. I nodded and walked around to squeeze myself next to her in her desk so we could look at it together.

"Let's see here... 'Police Reports', 'Wildcats Win First Game Of The Year', 'Animal Of The Month'. Aw, that's cute; Jenna the pit bull." Clare snickered as she flipped through the pages.

"The resemblance is uncanny," I muttered, my attention drawn to a completely different article on the opposite side. Clare was about to turn the page when I put my hand on hers, stopping her. "Look." I pointed to the article I'd been perusing.

**JUSTICE FOR THREE FAMILIES, FITZGERALD SENTENCED**

**by Eric Peters**

_Two months ago today, a minor by the name of Mark Fitzgerald was turned into the Toronto Police Department for the triple homicide of Fiona Coyne, Declan Coyne, and Imogen Moreno. There were a total of seventeen witnesses to the crime, including the two males who turned Fitzgerald in._

_Mark Fitzgerald plead not-guilty on all three counts of first-degree murder, claiming that the murders were committed by his fellow classmates, Clare Edwards, Elijah Goldsworthy, and Adam Torres. The three of them and the rest of the witnesses were questioned, evidence was collected, and only one story added up in the end. Seventeen year old Mark Fitzgerald was the one who killed the three teens in the tunnels under The New Dot. The jury in his case was quick to come to their decision of putting Fitzgerald behind bars for life. _

_In the aftermath of the horrible ordeal, Degrassi Community School has dedicated a memorial to the deceased in the Zen Garden, where it sits alongside the J.T Yorke memorial. The school, everyone involved, and families are slowly returning to normal._

I scoffed as I read the last line, but tried not to let the impersonality of the article get to me. Some writers just, for the lack of a better word, _suck_.

"...I don't want us to use this." Clare said shakily after she finished reading the article. I nodded, understanding completely. We were still both haunted by the memories of the cave, and writing an essay about how it affects our lives would not exactly assist in the 'recovery process'. Clare had even started therapy to try and remedy the nightmares that kept her up at night. I already had a therapist, so my schedule wasn't really affected.

"Jenna the pit bull it is," I joked lightly and Clare smiled a little. At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. I stood up and held out my hand to her, "Coffee date at the Dot, my lady?"

She took my hand and I pulled her up. "Why yes, thank you."

Clare and I walked hand in hand out the front doors of Degrassi. I led her to the thing I'd been hiding since this morning.

"Um, what are those?" she asked when I pulled out my new keys.

"Keys, Clare." I stated obviously, enjoying the different emotions flash across her face as she connected the dots. Annoyance, suspicion, surprise, and finally excitement.

"Oh my gosh! This is yours!" she exclaimed happily.

I nodded and grinned proudly at my new baby. It's a black 1969 Chevrolet Camaro with a red stripe on the hood. "Meet Morty II, paid for him all by myself." I announced.

She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me chastely. "It's perfect for you, Eli! Bullfrog's letting you drive again?" she asked.

I walked around to open the passenger door for her as I answered, "Yup." She got in and I rushed over to get in the driver's seat. "My parents still feel guilty for not noticing I was gone for two days during the incident."

"Oh." she mouthed and I instantly cursed myself for bringing it up again. Life these days just seemed to revolve around that one weekend. I started the car and began driving to the Dot. "Sorry, I didn't mean to mention it again." I told her honestly.

"No, don't be sorry. I'm totally okay with talking about it now. We're never going to forget that it happened, so we shouldn't keep our thoughts about it bottled up. It's just, your parents are so great. My family didn't even blink an eye when I told them what happened."

_God, I'm such an ass. _"Ugh, I'm sorry Clare. It's their loss not giving such an amazing person the time of day. And just so you know, Cece and Bullfrog love you like their own child."

"Thanks Eli."

I smiled as I pulled into a parking spot by the Dot. The drive seemed much faster than usual, probably because I'd been without wheels for so long. "Of course. And you know _I _love you and will always listen to you." I assured her.

"As I love and will always listen to you." she replied, and we leaned in for a quick, but passionate kiss before hopping out of the car and racing to the Dot. I beat her there only so I could open the door for her. She grinned and I followed her to our usual table by the window.

"Be right back." I said and left her at the table to buy our drinks. By the time I got back, there was a group of kids standing around our table chatting animatedly with Clare. I snuck up behind one person in particular and was about to scare the hell out of him when he put up a hand and said, "Goldsworthy don't even think about it. Clare's expression just gave me all the warning I needed."

I rolled my eyes while the rest of them laughed. "One of these days, Torres." I took my seat across from Clare and greeted the other three kids standing around the table, "Hey niners."

"Sup dude."

"Hello Eli."

"Eli! Are you and Clare like on a date?"

I laughed. "Hey Zig, Maya, and Tori if you must know; yes. Clare and I are like on a date."

"And that is our cue to leave, unless you guys want to become fourth, fifth, and sixth wheels. I've already reserved the honorary roll as third." Adam joked.

"You can stay if you want." Clare said politely and I rolled my eyes.

"Girl code for 'Get the hell out of here'." I translated. Clare slapped my bicep as the three niners and Adam laughed.

"Okay, we can take a hint, Goldsworthy. I have to get Maya home anyways. Katie and Drew are expecting their vanilla lattes to arrive hot. See ya later."

We bid them farewell before turning our attention to our drinks and one another.

"It was nice seeing them again." Clare remarked. I nodded, taking a sip of my black coffee. The liquid singed my tongue, but it felt like a nice contrast to the cold weather outside.

"Clare, Eli?" another voice addressed us. I turned in my seat to see KC standing next our table. _Geez did I pick the survivors cafe or what?_

_ "_Hey KC." we chorused.

"Hi. How are you two doing after...after everything?" he asked. I then realized that this was the first time Clare or I'd talked to him since finding out that his 'undying love for her' was more than just a ring tone. The cops were the ones who told us about this without him knowing when we went in for questioning. To say things were a bit weird between us all after that would be one hell of an understatement. I was appreciative for all KC did for us in the cave, but in reality I didn't want him anywhere near my girlfriend.

"Getting better," Clare admitted, "How about you?"

"Same here. Doc says I suffered enough shock to last a lifetime, but I'm slowly feeling more myself every day."

I threw in my two cents, "Glad to hear that, man."

He grinned and stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. "Uh yeah, so I'm going to go sit back down now..." he said and went over to sit at a booth with some football players.

Clare sighed. "Finally _alone._"

"Agreed." I leaned across the table at the same time she did and our lips connected. I could taste the vanilla frap on her mouth, and it was delicious. When we separated, I smirked at her and took a large swig of her drink. She narrowed her eyes and grabbed my coffee.

"Clare, careful it's-"

"OW!" she bellowed loudly after taking a large gulp. I didn't even care about the many stares we were getting, only that Clare was okay. "...hot. Are you alright? Here, drink this." I pushed her cold drink back at her. She sipped it tentatively and it seemed to soothe her pain because she smiled.

"Well, that was quite the outburst young miss." _another _person said. Somewhat annoyed, I turned to the voice. I raised an eyebrow at the stranger, "Uh do we know you?" The man had a thick mustache and hideous toupee and I resisted the urge to go stand protectively in front of Clare.

"I would think so, Elijahhh." he replied. I recognized the voice, but I just couldn't place it. Clare was the one to put it together. "Steve?" she whispered-shouted. I lit up, instantly knowing that it was him. After Adam and Sav turned Fitz in to the TPD, Steve Fitzgerald had had to move his home, and all of the 'eyewitnesses' pitched in to help him get back on his feet. He was a really cool guy, just with a bad reputation and drinking problem. Last I'd heard of him, he was sobering up for Tori and had a stable job.

"In the flesh, my dear. I see you and Elijah here haven't been wasting any time." he sniggered. Clare blushed and I answered for us.

"We certainly haven't. If there's one thing being in a life or death situation teaches you, it's that life is fragile and you should never sit around thinking 'what if'."

Steve looked impressed. "That's the spirit boy!"

"Yep. So what brings you to this fine establishment?" I asked. He shrugged, "This and that. The popo have been hot on my trail for awhile, and I needed some kind of normalcy. Figured a good ole cup of joe would do the trick. Oh yeah, speaking of the popo, have you guys heard anything on Mark's sentence?"

I looked at Clare and we both grimaced. How could we tell him that his nephew had been sentenced to life without parole? Steve chuckled at our speechlessness and said "I know that look...life without parole? What a bummer, the kid could have done great things."

Clare and I stayed silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with what he said. Sensing this, he added, "Neutral is a good color on you guys. Listen I gotta run, you kids stay in school. Maybe we'll meet again someday." With that said, Steve turned on his heel and fled The Dot.

"Okay then..." Clare said after awhile.

"Well I would say that we were alone again, but I'd probably jinx it and the power squad would come attack us."

She giggled and I smiled, relishing in the sound. "I'd fight them off for you." she assured.

"We'd just about fight off anyone, wouldn't we?" I laughed.

"Only because we're in love."

THE END

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**A link to Eli's car is on my profile. Bye now lovely readers!**


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